Guidelines on Dead Body Management

[Source: Guidelines On Dead Body Management, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India https://www.mohfw.gov.in]

The main driver of transmission of COVID-19 is through droplets. There is unlikely to be an increased risk of COVID infection from a dead body to health workers  or family members  who  follow standard precautions while  handling body. Only the lungs of dead COVID patients, if handled during an autopsy, can be infectious. Standard  Precautions  to be followed by health care workers while handling dead bodies of COVID.

Standard infection prevention control practices should be followed at all times. These include:

• Hand hygiene.
• Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., water resistant apron, gloves, masks, eyewear).
• Safe handling of sharps.
• Disinfect bag housing dead body;  instruments and  devices used on the patient.
• Disinfect linen. Clean and disinfect environmental surfaces.

Training in infection and prevention control practices

All staff identified  to handle dead  bodies in  the  isolation area, mortuary, ambulance and those workers in the crematorium / burial ground should be trained in the infection prevention control practices.

Removal of the body from the isolation room or area

• The health worker attending to the  dead body  should  perform hand hygiene, ensure  proper use of  PPE (water resistant  apron, goggles,  N95 mask, gloves).
• All tubes, drains and catheters on the dead body should be removed.
• Any puncture holes or wounds (resulting from removal of catheter, drains,tubes, or otherwise) should be disinfected with 1% hypochlorite  and dressed with impermeable material.
• Apply caution while  handling sharps such as intravenous catheters and other sharp devices. They should be disposed into a sharps container.
• Plug Oral, nasal orifices of the dead body to prevent leakage of body fluids.
• If the family of the patient wishes to view the body at the time of removal from the isolation room or area, they may be allowed to do so with the application of Standard Precautions.
• Place the dead body in leak-proof plastic body bag. The exterior of the body bag can be decontaminated with 1% hypochlorite.The body bag can be wrapped with a mortuary sheet or sheet provided by the family members.
• The body will be either handed over to the relatives or taken to mortuary.
• All used/ soiled linen should be handled with standard precautions, put in bio-hazard bag  and the  outer  surface  of the bag  disinfected with hypochlorite solution.
• Used equipment should be autoclaved  or decontaminated with disinfectant solutions in  accordance  with  established infection prevention  control practices. All medical  waste must be handled and disposed of in accordance with Bio-medical waste management rules.
• The health staff who handled the body will remove personal  protective equipment and will perform hand hygiene.
• Provide counseling to the family members and respect their sentiments.

Environmental cleaning and disinfection

All surfaces of the isolation area (floors, bed, railings, side tables, IV stand, etc.) should  be  wiped with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite solution; allow a  contact time of 30 minutes, and then allowed to air dry.

Handling of dead body in Mortuary 

• Mortuary staff handling COVID  dead  body should observe standard precautions.
• Dead bodies should be stored in cold chambers maintained at approximately 4°C.
• The mortuary must be kept clean. Environmental surfaces, instruments and transport trolleys should be properly disinfected with 1% Hypochlorite solution.
• After removing the body, the chamber door, handles and floor should be cleaned with sodium hypochlorite 1% solution.

Embalming

Embalming of dead body should not be allowed.

Transportation

• The body, secured in a body bag, exterior of which is decontaminated poses no additional risk to the staff transporting the dead body.
• The personnel handling the body may  follow  standard precautions (surgical mask, gloves).
• The vehicle, after the transfer of the body  to cremation/ burial staff,  will be decontaminated with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite.

At the crematorium / Burial Ground

• The Crematorium/ burial Ground staff should be sensitized that COVID 19 does not pose additional risk.
• The staff will practice  standard precautions of hand hygiene, use of masks and gloves.
• Viewing of the dead body by unzipping the face end of the body bag (by thestaff using standard precautions) may be allowed, for the relatives to see the body for one last time.
• Religious rituals such as reading from religious scripts, sprinkling holy  water and any  other last rites that does not require touching of the body  can be allowed.
• Bathing, kissing, hugging, etc. of the dead body should not be allowed.
• The funeral/ burial staff and family  members  should  perform  hand  hygiene after cremation/ burial.
• The ash does not pose any risk and can be collected to perform the last rites.

Large gathering at the crematorium/ burial ground should  be avoided as a social distancing measure as it is possible that close family contacts may be symptomatic and/ or shedding the virus.