Officials in El Paso County, Texas are willing to pay $27 an hour to recruit more morgue workers to deal with the surge of COVID-19 deaths, according to Newsweek.
According to local government data, at least 855 people have died in the region from COVID-19, which includes more than 300 deaths since October.
The Texas National Guard on Friday deployed 36 members to El Paso to assist at the morgues. The guardsmen took the place of jail inmate volunteers who were at the morgues moving bodies.
But officials still need more help and have offered $27.20 an hour for temporary morgue workers in the region.
The job posting reads: "All Morgue Attendants will be tasked with physically moving Decedents [...] Not only is this assignment physically taxing, but it may be emotionally taxing as well."
Since the onset of the pandemic, Texas has experienced more than 20,500 deaths due to coronavirus and more than 8,200 hospitalizations.
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego also asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to allow for a curfew to be instituted to curb the death surge in the region.
"With the upcoming holiday season I am concerned that without some additional measures, we will continue in a downward spiral, therefore, I am once again seeking your assistance in this emergency situation," Samaniego said.
He added, "The curfew I intend to impose will be limited in nature and is designed to stem recreational and international traffic after 10:00 p.m."
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