Coronavirus: Maine funeral home ties balloons on chairs to show support for grieving families

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine funeral home is helping family and friends grieve while social distancing and gathering restrictions are imposed because of the coronavirus.

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Although funeral services in Maine are limited to five people, officials at the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home started tying a white balloon to every chair as part of its Hugs from Home program to show grieving friends and family they are not alone, WCSH reported.

“When somebody passes away you need that support from the community, you need that support from friends and family,” funeral home director Adam Walker told WCSH. “People can’t be hugging one another now, unfortunately... it’s tough. Those families lose that very real need of having that broader support from the community.”

The balloons have helped.

“Families absolutely are completely taken back when they walk into this room and they see it full of balloons from people who have called to offer their support,” Walker told WCSH. “Some of them are funny stories or memories. But really it’s just words of hope and support.”

There are 770 confirmed cases and 24 deaths from the coronavirus in Maine, The New York Times reported.