Causes of death are seen listed on the roster at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, dresses in her personal protective equipment (PPE) before embalming a deceased person, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Narvaez sent her 17-year-old daughter to live with her twin sister, but after two weeks the distance was too much. "It's always just been me and her and she wanted to come home," said Narvaez. "I gotta make sure I keep healthy just not to harm her," she added. "Although she's been in quarantine for several weeks, every day I come home from work is Day Zero for her." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, checks the identification tags of bodies in the prep room, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. "You want six limos and you want them painted pink? Yes. Now, we're like: you want a cremation? I'm sorry, no. You want a burial and you already have a plot and everything? Sorry, no. We don't have any room," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, retrieves a deceased person from a morgue in a hospital, while working on a night-shift during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. "We're being told that we're heroes for being on the front lines of this but I feel like I'm failing families every day," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, positions a deceased person in the basement prep area, where bodies are stored and prepared for funeral services, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "You want six limos and you want them painted pink? Yes. Now, we're like: you want a cremation? I'm sorry, no. You want a burial and you already have a plot and everything? Sorry, no. We don't have any room," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is hung in the prep room at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, checks her makeup as she works during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. Adames said the women have to watch each other right now. The message, she says, is "limit your compassion please, because we gotta move onto the next one. There's no time to stop." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Nicole Warring, 33, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, wheels a deceased person past rows of boxes containing bodies to be cremated, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "It's traumatizing for everyone," Warring said. "No mortuary school can prepare you for what we're seeing now." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Rosehill Cemetery and Crematory is pictured from a moving vehicle, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Protective personal equipment (PPE) hangs on a door, as Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, checks a body being prepared for a viewing service, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager and Nicole Warring, 33, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, carry a deceased person into the basement area, where bodies are stored and prepared for funeral services, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager and Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, transport the casket of Adames's aunt, who was a suspected COVID-19 victim, to her viewing service, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 14, 2020. Adames said the women have to watch each other right now. The message, she says, is "limit your compassion please, because we gotta move onto the next one. There's no time to stop." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, stretches during a nightshift, while waiting to transfer a deceased person, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Rosary beads are seen placed in the hands of a deceased person, who was a suspected COVID-19 victim, following her viewing service at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director, Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager, Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator and Nicole Warring, 33, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, pose for a photo outside the building where they work, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, tends to the casket spray of a suspected COVID-19 victim, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. "You want six limos and you want them painted pink? Yes. Now, we're like: you want a cremation? I'm sorry, no. You want a burial and you already have a plot and everything? Sorry, no. We don't have any room," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Embalming tools are seen in the prep room at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, speaks on her phone that features an image of her daughter who is currently in quarantine at her grandmother's house, as Adames works during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. Adames sent her daughter to live with her mother. She recently caught herself snapping at her in a text exchange. "Today kind of broke my heart," she said. "She needs her mom. She don't need Jenny the funeral director." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Documents are stored inside a filing cabinet at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, stands in front of a row of deceased people stored inside cardboard boxes that are assigned to be cremated, as she takes a phone call, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Narvaez sent her 17-year-old daughter to live with her twin sister, but after two weeks the distance was too much. "It's always just been me and her and she wanted to come home," said Narvaez. "I gotta make sure I keep healthy just not to harm her," she added. "Although she's been in quarantine for several weeks, every day I come home from work is Day Zero for her." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, and Nicole Warring, 33, both of whom are Resident Funeral Directors at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, take phone calls in the office at the funeral home where they work, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. "You have 20 other funeral directors ahead of you that have to get bodies out," says Warring. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Nicole Warring, 33, and Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, both of whom are Resident Funeral Directors at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, remove a deceased person from a funeral service vehicle, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, drives through Rosehill Cemetery and Crematory, after transporting bodies to be cremated, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
The body bag of a COVID-19 victim, is labeled in the prep room of International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Nicole Warring, 33, and Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, both of whom are Resident Funeral Directors at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, work in the basement where bodies are stored and prepared for funeral services, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, takes a break from embalming in her personal protective equipment (PPE), during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 14, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Narvaez sent her 17-year-old daughter to live with her twin sister, but after two weeks the distance was too much. "It's always just been me and her and she wanted to come home," said Narvaez. "I gotta make sure I keep healthy just not to harm her," she added. "Although she's been in quarantine for several weeks, every day I come home from work is Day Zero for her." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Flowers from a a COVID-19 victim's casket spray are seen on a table at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Nicole Warring, 33, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, wears a gold Michael Kors watch that she received as a Mother's day gift from her mother, as she transports a deceased person to the basement where bodies are prepared for funeral services, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "You see tons of body bags and tons of people and they're labeled COVID-19, COVID-19, COVID-19. It's like a horror show," said Warring. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, applies makeup to her aunt, a suspected COVID-19 victim, with the assistance of her cousin Vanessa Fernandez, before her aunt's viewing service, as a screen displays a media conference by U.S. President Donald Trump, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, wheels a deceased person to be prepared for a viewing service the following day, into the funeral home where she works, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, speaks with people trying to help their friend find an available space to conduct a funeral service for a deceased family member, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "We're being told that we're heroes for being on the front lines of this but I feel like I'm failing families every day," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, and Nicole Warring, 33, both of whome are Resident Funeral Directors at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, remove a deceased person from a funeral service vehicle, during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "You want six limos and you want them painted pink? Yes. Now, we're like: you want a cremation? I'm sorry, no. You want a burial and you already have a plot and everything? Sorry, no. We don't have any room," Weinrieb said. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Lily Sage Weinrieb, 25, a Resident Funeral Director at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, pauses for few moments after taking a phone call next to the casket of a suspected COVID-19 victim, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Alisha Narvaez, 36, the manager at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, poses for a photo in her personal protective equipment, before embalming a deceased person, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 9, 2020. At the beginning of the pandemic, Narvaez sent her 17-year-old daughter to live with her twin sister, but after two weeks the distance was too much. "It's always just been me and her and she wanted to come home," said Narvaez. "I gotta make sure I keep healthy just not to harm her," she added. "Although she's been in quarantine for several weeks, every day I come home from work is Day Zero for her." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Jenny Adames, 36, a Funeral Service Coordinator at International Funeral & Cremation Services, a funeral home in Harlem, sits inside the chapel at the funeral home where she works, following a viewing service, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2020. "I'm not the emotional type to tell you the truth," Adames said. "I don't want to sound heartless but it's a job. It's what I do." REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Dealing with the dead: The female undertakers of Harlem