Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC May Begin Burying COVID-19 Victims On Public Land
By
Jake Offenhartz
and
Gwynne Hogan
Published Apr 6, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy of Richard Nickel Jr.
By
Jake Offenhartz
and
Gwynne Hogan
Published Apr 6, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York City may soon be forced to bury bodies in temporary mass graves on public land, as the number of COVID-19 fatalities exceeds available capacity of local funeral homes and cemeteries.
City Councilman Mark Levine detailed the "gruesome reality" in a series of tweets on Monday, explaining that even the refrigeration trucks deployed by the Office of the Medical Examiner would soon be out of space. As a result, the city was looking at "temporary interment" sites, where bodies could be buried in trenches ten in a row.
"There are going to be thousands of more people who will die, and we need the resources to manage that in a dignified and orderly way," Levine told Gothamist. The "ultimate goal," he added, was to avoid the tragic circumstances seen in Italy, where scores of caskets were left awaiting burials in local churches and halls.
A spokesperson for the Mayor's Office later clarified that this would not be done at local parks, as Levine initially indicated.
During a press conference on Monday morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged that the city was exploring temporary burials for victims of COVID-19. He declined to go into details about the plan, beyond noting that Hart Island, a Bronx location previously used a burial site for the city's indigent dead, was "the place we have used historically."
Governor Andrew Cuomo also declined to elaborate on the plans, calling the idea of mass graves in city parks a "wild rumor."
A 2008 report from the Chief Medical Examiner about managing an influenza pandemic references the possibility of "temporary interment" on Hart Island in the Bronx for up to 19,200 people. The city has reportedly offered to pay detainees on Rikers Island to dig the mass graves on the island.
Dozens of "body containment points" outside the Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan
Gwynne Hogan
The planning comes as the city's morgues, funeral homes and cemeteries buckle under the rising death toll from the virus, which reached 2,475 on Monday morning. The makeshift morgue trucks deployed to city hospitals, known as "Body Containment Points," are "mostly full," Levine said.
A spokesperson for the Office of Emergency management said that 80 refrigerated trucks had been dispatched to hospitals across the city and they were monitoring morgue capacity, but declined to give specifics.
Speaking to Gothamist, Levine said the plans for temporary graves was more than just a hypothetical. "I think [people] have not wanted to talk about the system for bodies because it's very hard to talk about," he said.
Tagged
Hart Island
COVID-19
coronavirus
mayor de blasio
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
A bill facing a hearing Monday would require cooling tower owners to notify city health officials when bacteria levels reach a much lower threshold.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:36 p.m. ET
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
NYPD identifies Bronx man, 26, killed in Midtown subway shooting
By
Ryan Kost
,
Elizabeth Kim
and
Phil Corso
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .