Vienna funerals go online amid coronavirus fears

Vienna funeral homes said Wednesday they're now offering to stream ceremonies online after the govt restricted gatherings and travel stem the COVID-19 outbreak.

Only up to 5 people are allowed to collect at a time, and movement has been strictly limited in Austria since last week as countries around the world fight to contain the virus.

Himmelblau, Vienna’s largest privately-owned funeral church, has begun offering a live stream of ceremonies since Friday, in keeping with director Jacob Homan.

Six funerals have since been sent out, and more customers have an interest within the free service, Homan said. “It is difficult for several of the next-of-kin that they can't attend the funeral,” he said.

The funeral is filmed on a portable and broadcast via the Zoom platform, which is secured by a password. Customers also get the video to share with others later if they need it.

“Travel bans and therefore the strict measures render it impossible now and then to bid the ultimate farewell,” noted Nina Laemmermayer, a spokeswoman for Bestattung und Friedhoefe Wien, which has also started to offer online streaming of ceremonies.

“The new service makes it possible for those left, especially people who are in high-risk groups, to require part within the funeral and ‘be there’ with none risks,” she added.

The country of nine million people has reported over 5,500 new coronavirus cases thus far, including 31 deaths.

Similar services are now also being offered elsewhere, like France and Spain.