A local funeral home owner says the limits to gathering sizes because of COVID-19 have not yet had a profound impact on business.

Speaking on The Jeff Andreas Show, Drake Smith of Drake Cremation and Funeral says part of the reason is most people choose to have smaller, more intimate gatherings.

“Things have really changed in our province over the past several years. People are not having the large, formal services as often anymore. That’s largely because of the cremation rate. In British Columbia – and in Kamloops too – about 90 per cent of people when they die are being cremated.”

Health officials say COVID-19 is not contagious in someone after they have died, but Smith says coroners are still cautious because of air that could be trapped in someone’s lungs when they die.

Last week, the province restricted the size of gatherings to a maximum of 50 people, as a way to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.