The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Hart Island

    Hart Island

    Corona virus, corona virus, corona virus. The topic of all discussions these past couple of month. From dinner tables talks, to just small talk. Corona virus we can’t get enough of. But I mean how could we not when it has truly taken over all of our lives.

    We have done a lot of talking about how it is impacting the living and all, but what about the deceased? What about the ones who’s lives were taken because of it. Who’s loved ones were suddenly gone just like that. Who knew? Well that question is unanswerable for the time being. However there are many things we do know.

    I’m sure you know, death rates have increased at an alarming rate. Proving the virus has truly taken its toll. With this being said. More and more bodies need buried.

    New York City has many islands, but one very infamous one, Hart Island, has come up with this pandemic. Hart Island is a burial ground for the city’s unknown. The unknown has very much increased. Now Hart island has resorted to doing mass burials, putting 150 coffins in one grave. However they still keep track of the unknown with numbers just in case.

    Who performs these burials you ask? Well the Department of Corrections controls this island, and uses inmate labor to conduct these burials. Not anymore though. The city has hired contract laborers to perform Hart Island burials instead of the Rikers inmates for social distancing and safety reasons.

    This may come as saddening and sickening, but is a reality for now.

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