Vance Brooks Funeral Home Is Prepared to Safely Care For Families
During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Phenix City and Columbus Update as of May 26

The Governors in both States, Georgia and Alabama, have reduced the restrictions regarding the COVID-19 guidelines.  While both States’ requirements have been reduced, the funeral industry still remains under varying restrictions regarding social distancing and public gatherings for both chapels.  Due to the changing environment and updates, please feel free to contact either of the chapels regarding specific guidelines and requirements should there be any questions regarding attending a visitation or funeral service.

To Our Families and Community:

The Alabama State Health Officer has issued an order that all gatherings of 25 persons or more, or gatherings of any size that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance between persons, are prohibited until further notice. This order applies to all gatherings, events or activities that bring 25 or more persons in a single room or single space at the same time.

Per the above stated order, effective today, March 19, 2020, both Vance Brooks Funeral Home chapels, Phenix City, AL and Columbus, GA, have implemented the following guidelines listed below:

• We will encourage graveside and outdoor services.
• Only holding 2 services per day (1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon).
• For chapel services, no more than 24 people in attendance (family only).
• Visitations scheduled the same day as the service will start no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the service.
• Only 2 scheduled visitations in an evening, with no more than 24 people each at a time (family only). Some visitors may have to wait outside until others exit the building.
• Visitations will be scheduled for one hour.
• Limit the amount of pictures and outside items brought into the funeral home.
• We will offer options for recorded or live streaming services.

These guidelines will allow our staff more time to clean and disinfect our facilities, to serve the needs of our families, and to protect our community and staff. We apologize for any inconvenience to the families that we serve but feel we have no other choice during this crisis.

Phenix City, AL and Columbus, GA – Vance Brooks Funeral Home remains committed and prepared to safely care for the families it serves during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Whenever possible, Vance Brooks Funeral Home will continue to enable families to participate in the rituals that are most important to them.

A member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), Vance Brooks Funeral Home regularly receives information via NFDA from the CDC, Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies about the evolution of COVID-19 in the United States. NFDA continues to lead the conversation with federal officials about the role of funeral service as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And according to the CDC, at this time, there is no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Depending on a family’s preferences, their loved one can be safely embalmed. Families may choose either burial or cremation as usual.

“At Vance Brooks Funeral Home, we recognize our responsibility to protect the health of those we are privileged to serve,” said Lance Brooks, owner. “We will continue to guide families, as we always have, in ways they can meaningfully and safely commemorate the life of their loved one, while adhering to the guidance issued by federal, state and local public health officials.”

Lance Brooks continued: “Our staff remains vigilant about cleaning our facilities and ensuring we’re all following recommended healthy habits, such as staying home when sick, washing our hands, and covering coughs and sneezes. The CDC and our local public health officials have offered a lot of helpful guidance for businesses on this topic, which we continue to follow.”

Should you make the decision to attend a visitation or funeral in the next few weeks, please take the following precautions, avoid close contact with others, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, if soap is not available. Additionally, if you are sick, we ask that you refrain from attending.

If the staff of Vance Brooks Funeral Home can be of assistance, please contact us at (334) 298-0668 for the Phenix City, AL location or (706) 323-8152 for the Columbus, GA location.