Guidelines given by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for burial/cremation of coronavirus patients explain the different steps to be followed before burial/cremation:
Transportation
1. The body should be kept in a body bag, the exterior of which should be decontaminated. Once this is done, there is no additional risk to the people who transport the body.
2. The people handling the body should follow standard precautions that many of us are following in everyday life – this includes wearing a surgical mask and gloves.
3. The vehicle, after the transfer of the body to cremation/burial staff, should be decontaminated with 1% Sodium Hypochlorite.
At Burial ground/Crematorium
1. The crematorium/burial ground staff should be sensitised that COVID-19 does not pose any additional risk.
2. The staff should practice standard precautions of hand hygiene, use of masks and gloves.
3. Viewing of the dead body by unzipping the face end of the body bag (by the staff using standard precautions) can be allowed, so that the family can see the deceased one last time.
4. Religious rituals such as reading from religious scripts, sprinkling holy water and any other last rites that do not require touching of the body can be allowed. However, bathing the body, kissing, hugging, etc. of the dead body should not be allowed.
5. The funeral/ burial staff and family members should perform hand hygiene after cremation/ burial.
6. Large gatherings should not be allowed as physical distancing becomes difficult with large crowds
You can read the full guidelines here: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=forums&srcid=MTAzMTQ...
Having said that, let me also add that Scientists in Thailand have reported the first known case of COVID-19 infection from a dead person. The deceased was a forensic medical professional. Forensic pathologists, also known as medical examiners, evaluate dead bodies for a living, making it highly likely -- and sadly -- that this person became infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 from a dead person, the Thai scientists concluded (1).
A dead body would be contagious at least for hours if not days. "The virus will still be in respiratory secretions, and potentially still reproducing in cells that haven't yet died in the lungs (2).
It's unclear, however, just how long the virus remains infectious in a dead body. In light of this finding, forensic scientists should take a number of precautions while examining the remains of COVID-19 patients, the researchers said. For instance, forensic professionals should wear protective gear, including a protective suit, gloves, goggles, a cap and a mask.
Although it's possible to contract COVID-19 from the dead, experts say that precautions already in place will protect medical examiners and health care personnel from harm. The disinfection procedure used in operation rooms might be applied in pathology/forensic units too.
Family members should not touch the body of a loved one who dies at home of suspected COVID-19 infection, without taking additional precautions.
Most infectious agents do not survive long in the human body after death, according to the World Health Organization. However, WHO also recognizes that workers who routinely handle corpses are at risk of contracting tuberculosis, blood-borne viruses like Ebola, hepatitis and HIV, and gastrointestinal infections like E. coli and typhoid fever.
Medical examiners can never be too sure which infections a corpse may harbour, so they always take universal precautions, and treat all body fluids as infectious. This means wearing protective suits, gloves, goggles, face shields, caps and masks.
If you notice any body fluids after the removal of body at home, disinfect the place carefully or call the experts who will do it following all the prescribed precautions.
Footnotes:
1. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-reach-grave-deceased-body...
2. https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-corpses-contagious.html
