NYC potters field possible site for virus burials

A small island in the waters off the Bronx is being discussed as a possible temporary burial site as a contingency should the number of COVID-19 deaths rise unabated.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio confirmed the contingency during an appearance on NY1 Monday night but added there will be no mass graves. He said burials, if the city reaches that point, would be of individuals so families could later reclaim their loved ones but declined to provide additional details.

Using Hart Island as a temporary burial site was included in a 2008 city planning document for an influenza pandemic should deaths reach the tens of thousands.

Hart Island is run by the city's Department of Correction, with limited public access, and is the process of being transferred to the city's parks department.

The site has served as New York City's potter's field for 150 years.

White markers of concrete or plastic piping note the location of many, but not all, of the graves. Each one represents 150 souls buried below and bears a number linked to records with information about the dead.

Abandoned structures on the island include the remnants of a 19th century women's asylum and a tuberculosis hospital and a former Army missile site.