We Are Committed to Your Safety

Assisting families and friends with loss is our privilege and honor as funeral directors. Given the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to know that funeral directors throughout Iowa are taking precautions to limit exposure to the coronavirus. We are still operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week making certain that those entrusted to our care and the families we serve are receiving uninterrupted service and attention, regardless of the cause of death.

In the last days and weeks, the Iowa Funeral Directors Association has been in regular contact with numerous state and federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and the Iowa Department of Public Health, ensuring that the information our member funeral homes receive is as current as possible. Funeral homes are in regular contact with local officials ensuring that public welfare is a primary concern. In addition, as part of our annual license renewal, we participate in public health and safety training.

You are encouraged to do self checks before you go out in public and especially when meeting with groups of people.We encourage you to thoughtfully go through this list of symptoms before coming to a service or visitation.

1. Do you have any of these symptoms that are not caused by another condition? 

• Fever or chills                                                          • Cough                              

                              • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing       • Fatigue                                                          

                              • Muscle or body aches                                           • Headache                                                     

                               • Recent loss of taste or smell                                • Sore throat                                                    

                                • Congestion                                                             • Nausea or vomiting                                      • Diarrhea 

2. If you are not fully vaccinated, have you been in close contact with anyone with COVID19 in the past 14 days? Close contact is being within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period with a person; or having direct contact with fluids from a person with COVID-19 with or without wearing a mask (i.e., being coughed or sneezed on). 

3. Have you had a positive COVID-19 test for active virus in the past 10 days, or are you awaiting results of a COVID-19 test? 

4. Within the past 14 days, has a public health or medical professional told you to selfmonitor, self-isolate, or self-quarantine because of concerns about COVID-19 infection?

Our sympathies go out to anyone who has the additional burden of grief and loss during this time, and we are here to guide each family with their particular needs on an individual basis. 

We are your neighbors and friends. Funeral directors live and work in your communities and we take the impact of this pandemic seriously.

Please know that above all, we are committed to the families we serve. We remain focused on maintaining high standards and ethical practices as we serve the dead and bereaved with the health and well-being of our communities in mind as we move forward together in the coming weeks and months.

This is a continuing developing situation and we will keep you informed.

Please call the funeral chapel at 641-672-2181 for how this may impact your situation.

Sincerely,

David, Shawn and Andrew Langkamp

Langkamp Funeral Chapel, Oskaloosa, Iowa