EL PASO, Texas — The military, jail inmates and paid civilians are among those who have helped move bodies at the El Paso County morgue overwhelmed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Late last week, the El Paso County Medical Examiner posted an internal job offering for a temporary assignment as a morgue attendant. The job reportedly offered more than $27 an hour and received attention from around the world, but applications have since been paused due to “overwhelming interest,” according to the county’s website on Monday morning.
“The Morgue Attendants will be provided maximum PPE [personal protective equipment], and will receive a COVID test prior to starting. All Morgue Attendants will be tasked with physically moving Decedents,” a notice previously read. “Not only is this assignment physically taxing, but it may be emotionally taxing as well.”
The Texas Tribune reported Friday that El Paso County officials were pleading for more morgue workers as coronavirus fatalities climbed. At the same time, the military and the county jail were sending in people to help, although inmates are no longer assisting.
As of Monday morning, the county had seen more than 80,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The total is the third-highest in the state behind Harris County (the Houston area) and Dallas County. El Paso County is rapidly approaching 1,000 total death due to the virus.