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Local Religious Leaders Modify Last Rites, Funeral Practices During Pandemic

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Father Jason Tyler, a pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fayetteville, stands for a photograph in late August after anointing a COVID-19 positive parishioner.
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As the COVID-19 death toll in Arkansas rises each day, religious leaders must follow strict CDC and state guidance for last rites, funerals and burials. We hear from the inspector and investigator for the Arkansas Insurance Department's Funeral Services Division about compliance and speak with a local Islamic mosque imam, Catholic church priest, and a Jewish cantor about how they're adapting during the pandemic.

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Jacqueline Froelich is an investigative reporter and news producer for Ozarks at Large.