Hart Island is now the resting place for the deceased who were not claimed by family members or those whose families can’t afford private burials. 

The island is now seeing an increase of burials during the coronavirus pandemic. 

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"The public does not need to worry about the body of their loved ones being mishandled,” said Hart Island Project Director Melinda Hunt. 

The Hart Island Project says its drone footage from last week shows Rikers Island inmates burying bodies on the island, but a former inmate says they were always careful. 

"We carried them gently, we did our job. We took pride in what we did and we knew we were the only ones there for these people,” said an inmate, who remained anonymous. 

Despite this, the city has stopped using inmate labor for burials and is now using contract labor. The interments used to only take place once a week, but in the midst of the pandemic, it is now five days a week. 

The city told News 12 in a statement, "For decades, Hart Island has been used to lay to rest decedents who have not been claimed by family members. We will continue using the Island in that fashion during this crisis and it is likely that people who have passed away from COVID who fit this description will be buried on the Island in the coming days."

Officials say families should not feel as if their loved ones are being mishandled. 

"It's just really a beautiful place to be buried. I don't think people should be afraid of this at all. There's a lot of deer and wildlife out there, birds nesting. It's a very, very peaceful,” said Hunt. 

"If at any point, a family returns or shows up, the body will be given to the family as we would always want to do,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.