Go by govt guidelines while handling bodies: Health Dept

As per the instructions on the dead body management, the samples of all the Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) patients should be taken and testing for COVID-19 should be conducted.

Among one of the deaths due to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu at Stanley Medical College and Hospital, the relatives of the deceased were allowed to cremate the body before the lab test results were out.

As a result, about 200 people were kept under quarantine as they had either attended the funeral or came in contact with the dead body before the lab test results tested positive for the deceased. Thus, the State Health Department has instructed the hospitals to follow the same procedure as prescribed for COVID-19 patient dead body management in case of any SARI, if the reports of the lab test are yet to come.

However, if the relative of the deceased wants to wait for results for cremation/burial, the body may be kept in the mortuary with all the standard precautions till results are received.

As a precautionary measure, not more than 10 people should be allowed at the burial or the cremation site. All areas and vehicles should be disinfected post the cremation.

All the people undertaking the cremation should take precautionary measures against the spread of the infection.