Durban - FAMILIES burying loved ones infected with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will not be allowed to perform the customary rituals on the body.
This is according to a 53-page draft report outlining how to dispose of bodies.
It was compiled by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the Centre of Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis and Outbreak Response, the National Health Laboratory Services, and the Department of Health.
The report, which outlines the management and public health response in South Africa, also looks at infection control, laboratory diagnosis, contact tracing and quarantine, among others. It states the body must not be embalmed.
Furthermore, if it is transported, it needs to be placed in three plastic bags. The two inner bags must be transparent and sealed, so no fluids leak.
The third bag must also be leak-proof, but it does not need to be transparent.
The body must have a tag with the label “Hazard Group 4 Pathogens”.
After the body has been placed in the three bags, the remains must be placed in a non-transparent coffin, which is lined with 5cm sawdust to prevent any potential leakages
Once the body is taken to the funeral, no one is allowed to open the coffin or remove the human remains after they have been sealed without prior approval from an environmental health practitioner.
The report states that the environmental health practitioner must strictly monitor the handling of the body throughout the entire process.
The remains are considered contagious and should only be kept in designated health facilities’ mortuaries.
“Under no circumstances shall the human remains be directly handled, whether for aesthetic, hygiene preparations, cultural or religious reasons.
“The human remains may not be embalmed or viewed by breaking the seals of the first two bags, but by opening the third bag.”
The NICD also suggests bodies should be cremated rather than buried.
“Where it is feasible and acceptable to family culture and/or religion, it is strongly recommended that the remains be cremated.”
However, if the body should be buried, it would need to be buried in a sufficiently deep grave to prevent access by rodents and carnivores.
The EMS provincial coordinator must be notified.
If the confirmed Covid-19 patient dies while being transported via ambulance:
A decision on where to take the corpse must be communicated to the ambulance crew.
The Provincial Environmental Health Department must be notified.
Under no circumstances must the corpse be removed from the ambulance other than at the facility communicated to the ambulance crew.
The corpse must be placed in double body bags that are fluid-leak proof.
The bags must be wiped down with a 0.05% chlorine solution before leaving the ambulance.