Special Relief Commissioner wrote to all the Collectors and Municipal Commissioners
“
- Dead body of the Covid-19 suspect/ confirmed cases must be handled with all dignity following the guidelines mutatis mutandis
- Family members may be allowed to see with the application of standard precaution
- The dead body shall be handled and transported in a decent manner.
- Family members may be allowed to perform the last religious rites without touching and maintaining safe distance
- The family members may be allowed to collect the ash after cremation to perform the last rites
Bhubaneswar( Kalinga Voice) : Special Relief Commissioner & Additional Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena has written a letter to all the Collectors and All Municipal Commissioners regarding the Management of dead body of Covid-l9 patients and instructed them to follow the guideline for Management of dead body of Covid-l9 patients mutatis mutandis.
Special Relief Commissioner Sri Jena in his letter writes, ” Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India has issued guidelines detailing the procedure and precautions to be taken at different levels for management of dead bodies of the suspect or confirmed cases of Covid-l9.
As per the said guidelines, the body is to be placed in a leak-proof plastic bag, the exterior of the body bag decontaminated with 1% hypochlorite, wrapped with a mortuary sheet or the sheet provided by the family members and handed over to the relative of the deceased for cremation/ burial. The family member(s) of the patient are allowed to view the body at’the time of removal from the isolation room or area with the application of standard precautions. Religious rituals, such as reading from religious scripts, sprinkling of holy water and any other last rites that does not require touching of the body can be allowed. The ash also can be collected to perform the last rites. All these are to be performed including transportation of the body following due precautions and hygienic procedures laid down in the said guidelines.”
“In our State, however, the Government has taken the full responsibility of disposal of the dead body of the Covid-19 suspect/ confirmed cases for which the Government have sanctioned Rs.7,500/- (Rupees Seven Thousand Five Hundred) per deceased towards expenditure for disposal of dead body of Covid-l9 suspect/ confirmed cases.
SRC Sri Jena also wites “While the State Government will continue to assume the responsibility of disposal of the dead body of the Covid-19 suspect/ confirmed cases, respecting the religious sentiments of the people and religious believe of diflerent sects, the Government has been p[eased to allow the followings:
- If family member(s) of the patient wish(es) 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 - The dead body shall be handled and transported in a decent manner.
- While disposing the dead body at the crematorium/ burial ground, the family members may be allowed to perform the last rites according to their religion/ faith without touching the body, maintaining minimum safe distance from the body and following standard hygienic precautions, such as hand hygiene, use of mask & gloves, no spitting in public place. Bathing, kissing, hugging, ete. of the body are strictly prohibited.
The family members may be allowed to collect the ash after cremation for performance of last rites. Not more than 20 persons shall be allowed in the funeral function including the priest and member(s), suppoft agency(ies), if any.
However, if the family members do not wish to take paft in cremation/ burial of the dead body of the Covid-19 suspect/ confirmed case, the dead body may be disposed of in their absence following the method of disposal, such as cremation or burial, as per custom of the religion/ sect to which the person belonged to. If the religion/ sect of the person is not known, either of the procedure may be followed for disposal of the dead body.
All other conditions contained in the *COVID-I9: GUIDELINES ON DEAD BODY MANAGEMENT” issued by the MoHFW shall be followed mutatis mutandis for disposal of
the dead body of the Covid-19 suspect/ confirmed cases” .
