TORONTO -- It's a topic that most people don't like to discuss, but in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, substantive changes have been put in place as to how Ontarians are able to deal with death.

"This is a very challenging time for any families that are grieving," Matthew Bucek, a funeral director at Turner & Porter Funeral Homes told CTV News Toronto. "We are doing our best to work with them."

Among the changes facing those who've lost a loved one, Ontario has limited the number of people gathering for funerals to 10.

"From a family standpoint it is tough for them to pick the 10 people that actually come in to see their loved one,” Bucek said, but he maintained that families have been receptive and respectful of the new rules.

"It may seem simple it's just 10 people," Bill Nixon, the manager of operations at Turner & Porter in Toronto, said. "But these people that are walking in are not walking in under normal circumstances. A death has occurred … it's still a stressful place to visit."

Funeral homes are relying more on technology to allow loved ones to mourn together.

Bucek said the funeral home is using FaceTime and Zoom frequently to allow distant witnesses attend funeral services. He said some people are also choosing to video record the service and are posting it on sites like Facebook to allow others to watch.

Inside their chapel on Bloor Street West, a small robot with a tablet on top is used to allow virtual visitations. A user at home can maneuver the machine around the room to allow them to watch and speak with mourners.

The limitation on attendees also means that funeral homes must now space out their visitations and funerals.

Multiple gatherings in the same building can no longer be held and so services are being spaced further apart to allow each family the maximum number of mourners under the new rules.

The pandemic has also changed how the funeral homes operate themselves.

For workers who deal with the deceased, that involves accessing personal protective equipment (PPE). But funeral homes, like many health-care workers, are having trouble accessing the equipment.

Nixon said some of their orders for PPE have been redirected or have become out of stock.

"The protective equipment is as essential as our service,” he said. “We want to stay on guard if you will. We want to be sure that we're covering absolutely anything and not knowingly put anyone into any sort of safety jeopardy."

New provincial regulations that went in to effect on Tuesday have also changed how funeral homes take care of the deceased. Nixon called them a "drastic change.”

Employees from funeral homes are no longer allowed to enter hospitals or long-term care homes to transport the deceased. Instead, they are to deliver a stretcher and body bag to the door of the home, where staff in side are responsible for bagging and removing the body before delivering it outside.

Nixon believes while it is a necessary step to keep funeral workers safe, it also puts an added stress on already over-worked staff inside hospitals and care homes.

"We're not talking about one hospital or one long-term care facility. They already have their burdens for day-to-day and … now someone or a few people are taken away to do another chore if you will."

Still, despite the limitations to both their staff and the services they can deliver, Nixon says those involved in the funeral sector are working hard to ensure that families are able to say a final farewell to their loved ones- whether their death was related to the pandemic or not.

"That last touch of the hand to say goodbye that's what we focus on because it's a different world now,” he said.