Beyond death and afterlife: the complicated process of grief in the time of COVID-19.

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has already killed more than one million people around the world. The pandemic had a profound impact on the emotional, social and spiritual life of the public. Due to self-isolation, prohibition of mass-gatherings and quarantine protocols, hospitals and healthcare facilities are closed to visitors. Clergy members are unable to be physically present with sick in their final moments. Many families cannot say goodbye to their loved ones, many people cannot attend funeral rites and many people cannot perform their final mourning rituals. These complicated situations have not only distressed some family members but also someone who is close to death. In this time of crisis, it is important to implore the global community to reflect on the unique and unusual process of grieving. This paper is a response to the recent correspondence published in this journal where the author noted the changing landscapes of death and burial practices in the context of COVID-19. This paper further adds to the emerging and complicated process of death, dying and grief and ways of coping with loss in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.