The city of San Luis Obispo is allowing local cremation and mortuary companies to extend their hours of operation amid an increasing number of COVID-19-related deaths.
City officials say the emergency proclamation was issued after requests from the Wheeler Smith morgue and the Reis family morgue. The companies asked the city to remove restrictions on opening hours due to increased demand.
According to current city zoning rules, crematorium and mortuary establishments can only operate from Monday to Friday, from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm
On Friday, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Health reported six additional COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the county total to 101.
County health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said that COVID-19 is currently the leading cause of death in San Luis Obispo County, as well as in the United States as a whole.
City manager Derek Johnson issued the emergency proclamation on Thursday night and the city council will be asked to ratify the order at its January 12 meeting.