United Funeral Service Re-opens

United Funeral Service will be open again on Christmas Day.

After being closed for ten days while its staff members recovered from COVID-19, United Funeral Service will be open on Christmas Day.

“We regret the necessity to close while our employees recovered,” said Rodney Shands, president of Union County’s longest established funeral service.

“We are thankful that all our folks have recovered and are out of quarantine,” he said. “We are honored to again be able to serve our many friends.”

United Funeral Service had served Union County without interruption for more than a century. It was not even necessary for United to close during the 1918-1920 flu epidemic, which infected one-third of what was then the world’s population.

“We remind our friends to stay safe, take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, and have a blessed holiday season,” Shands concluded.

Below is the full text of the original story posted on NEMiss.News, Dec. 15, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has closed United Funeral Service, for many decades Union County’s leading provider of funeral services, for the first time ever.

Rodney Shands, president of United Funeral Services, Inc., made the announcement, Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 15.

Shands said all employees of United are either infected with COVID-19 or are under quarantine because they have been in contact with employees who have tested positive.

Shands said United Funeral Services will be open again Christmas Day, at the earliest.

“We regret this interruption in our long service to the people of Union County,” he said. “It is unprecedented. Not even in the flu epidemic of 1918, was it necessary for us to temporarily suspend our services.

“This is another proof that the pandemic is extremely serious. We urge all of our friends to follow guidance to avoid infection including social distancing and wearing masks.”