Can you catch coronavirus from a corpse? Here’s what funeral homes are doing to stay safe
Elbow bumps edged out the traditional hand shakes and hugs among dozens of mourners at a recent wake and service in Hollywood.
And this was two weeks ago, before “flatten the curve” became mandatory in South Florida — and much of the country — as officials closed restaurants, bars, gyms and other gathering establishments amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Death doesn’t take a holiday — nor does it heed public health advisories issued by the World Health Organization concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
But funeral homes in states hit hard by the coronavirus, like Florida, have to pay attention and make some changes in dealing with the public and preparing bodies for viewing and burial.
Practicing safe hygiene
Scaling back direct contact with family and guests, such as avoiding handshakes or hugs, have become common practices at funeral homes since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Some funeral homes, chapels and temples have also taken to keeping the front doors propped open to help reduce the containment of germs and having staffers open doors during visitations and services to keep guests from touching surfaces, like door knobs, as much as possible.
“You know your business operations best and, with your staff, can develop a plan to action to help families commemorate the life of their loved ones in a safe manner that is consistent with federal, state and local guidance,” the National Funeral Directors Association counseled its members.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has recommended that Americans should avoid gathering in groups larger than 10 people into one space at one time for 15 days to help flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread.
After all, Italy is under lockdown so it has temporarily banned traditional funeral services. Ireland put funeral directors on notice: Only close family members can attend services and no open caskets at memorial services, Sky News reported. Islamic burial traditions mandate that bodies be washed with soap and water before a prompt burial but burials were being delayed for testing and Iran is building burial pits for coronavirus victims, according to a CNN report.
What COVID-19 means for South Florida funeral homes
In some parts of the country, grave site services have been temporarily altered. New York’s Woodlawn Cemetery, for instance, recently moved all of its services outdoors but asked those attending committal services to limit attendees to no more than 10 people. “Families will not be allowed to witness lowering and covering and there will be no witnessing in our crematory,” Woodlawn’s CEO Mitch Rose said in a statement.
That’s not quite the situation yet in South Florida.
“Yes, the cemeteries are open. Everyone is being very careful,” said Donald Van Orsdel, president of Van Orsdel Family Funeral Chapels. “We do 70% cremation now. The death care profession is considered an essential business by the state of Florida.”
Similarly, a representative at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn South & Woodlawn Park Cemetery South in Southwest Miami said grave site visits remain open — as well as witnessing the lowering of the casket during a burial service — and hasn’t limited the number of viewers. “It’s a park. It’s up to the families,” she said.
Funeral homes also are looking at the possibility of how to handle mass deaths should COVID-19 fatalities escalate dramatically.
“At this time we are not expecting that but are prepared if that happens,” Van Orsdel said.
“Funeral Homes and cemeteries are prepared the best that they can be for any situation,” added Michael Blasberg, regional operations manager of South Florida’s Levitt Weinstein-Blasberg-Rubin-Zilbert Memorial Chapels.
Whether or not to visit or mourn in person, it’s a quandary, however. Experts call gatherings at memorial services vital in the grieving process.
Mourners’ psychological need to gather
According to David Sloane, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Price School of Public Policy and the author of “Is the Cemetery Dead?” mourners need to gather to honor a loved one. “The gathering is really part of the experience of mourning,” he told The Tampa Bay Times.
Louis Gamino, a researcher at the University of North Texas, “found that bereaved families who held a ‘good’ funeral — where everything went smoothly and there were no problems or family conflicts — showed significantly less intense symptoms of unresolved grief later into their bereavement,” according to a 2016 report in Funeral Guide.
With coronavirus severely limiting our outdoor options in Florida, there are, naturally, some new “problems” or adjustments funeral home operators must navigate.
“As for gatherings, some families are postponing and others are going through as scheduled and are self-limiting,” said South Florida’s Van Orsdel. “Most of our gatherings are small. We are being extremely cautious. Our facilities are clean and disinfected.”
Blasberg recently held a call with the National Funeral Directors Association to address these concerns and his adhering to its recommendations, which come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Can you catch the virus from a body?
A Miami Herald reader recently emailed a reporter to ask: “I’m just wondering if funeral homes are taking extraordinary measures when handling bodies of coronavirus victims. If you can continue to shed the virus, there’s extra risk.”
According to the CDC, “There is currently no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of COVID-19.”
“Contrary to common belief, there is no evidence that corpses pose a risk of epidemic disease after a natural disaster. Most agents do not survive long in the human body after death,” according to the World Health Organization.
Nevertheless, “For a coronavirus death we will be going beyond our standard universal precautions and using extra protective gear,” said Van Orsdel.
But the risks of being gathered together in one room with the living exist.
On Sunday, the CDC’s new guidelines for mass gatherings recommended that for the next eight weeks — or two months through May — organizers ought to cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout not just Florida but the entire U.S.
The National Funeral Directors Association plans to make this a part of the practice.
“Funerals can still take place under the 50-person limit,” the guideline says, but for these services “they suggested limited attendance to select family and livestreaming the services for those who cannot attend.”
And now, with the Trump administration’s 10-person suggestion, as with other gatherings, those who are ill or at-risk — such as those 60 and older or who may be immune-compromised — should stay home, the association urges.
The Funeral Directors Association adds that social distancing, hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes — all a part of the worldwide parlance — must be a part of one’s daily routine.
Local city and state restrictions on public gatherings take precedence over individual funeral home’s operations, the association stressed.
Those who attend funeral services should consider not touching the body of someone who has died of COVID-19, the CDC said.
“There may be less of a chance of the virus spreading from certain types of touching, such as holding the hand or hugging after the body has been prepared for viewing. Other activities, such as kissing, washing, and shrouding should be avoided before, during, and after the body has been prepared, if possible.
The embalming process
The new Funeral Directors Association guidelines say that bodies of those who die of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 can safely be transported and embalmed but by adopting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols. These tips emphasize disinfecting of surfaces and the wearing of protective equipment like disposable gowns, face shields or goggles and face mask.
Those who die with COVID-19 can be buried or cremated but state and local requirements may vary, according to the association.
Religious, cultural practices
“If washing the body or shrouding are important religious or cultural practices, families are encouraged to work with their community cultural and religious leaders and funeral home staff on how to reduce their exposure as much as possible,” the CDC said. “At a minimum, people conducting these activities should wear disposable gloves.”
The Jewish and Muslim faiths, for instance, require that services take place as quickly as possible, but allow for adaptation at extreme times, such as a disease outbreak.
Yaser Sultan, an imam who helps arrange funerals at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay, told the Tampa Bay Times that funeral attendance and pilgrimage to Mecca should be done “when health, wealth and safety allow.
The faithful, he said, “don’t have to be there in body. You can be in spirit.”
