El Paso County leaders are recruiting extra morgue workers as the Texas region becomes increasingly overwhelmed by COVID-19 deaths.
The area has emerged a coronavirus hotspot with at least 855 people dying from the disease, including more than 300 since October, according to local government statistics.
On Friday, the Texas National Guard sent a 36-member team to the border region to help out in the overrun morgues. The team were sent to replace jail inmates who had volunteered to move bodies, according to CNN.
Local leaders are now offering temporary morgue assistants a wage of $27.20 an hour.
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He said: “With the upcoming Holiday season I am concerned that without some additional measures, we will continue in a downward spiral, therefore, I am once again seeking your assistance in this emergency situation.
“The curfew I intend to impose will be limited in nature and is designed to stem recreational and international traffic after 10:00 p.m.,” he said.
A curfew had been imposed in the area from October 26 for two weeks. An extension has not been confirmed by Abbott since Samaniego’s request.
After the National Guard was deployed, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo tweeted on Friday: “As we’ve seen a rapid increase in cases and hospitalizations, we are unfortunately also seeing a spike in deaths.
1/ As we’ve seen a rapid increase in cases and hospitalizations, we are unfortunately also seeing a spike in deaths. We have been working closely with funeral homes and mortuaries to assist with increased capacity and coordination of resources. pic.twitter.com/qXfYdM5PWe
— Mayor Dee Margo (@mayor_margo) November 21, 2020
“We have been working closely with funeral homes and mortuaries to assist with increased capacity and coordination of resources.
“The Texas Military will provide us with the critical personnel to carry out our fatality management plan and we are very grateful to them for their ongoing support.”
Margo said that El Paso city and county have secured a central morgue location to add additional capacity, but he would not reveal its exact location citing privacy concerns.
Samaniego also told KIVA how the National Guard would support morgue workers, saying: “Right now they’re helping us with the overflow of transporting where the trailers are, trying to get some movement so we don’t have any backup.”
“We’ve got a lot of loved ones waiting for relatives and moms and dads.”
RepublicanWire has contacted the City of El Paso and El Paso county for comment.