Don’t Bring Out Your Dead

at

This morning.

Via RTÉ:

The Irish Association of Funeral Directors (IAFD) has recommended that funeral services for any one who dies due to coronavirus should be postponed and the deceased should be immediately cremated or buried.

The IAFD has also advised that transport for families of the deceased should not be provided and that funeral instructions should only be given to undertakers over the phone.

…Earlier, the IAFD issued a statement saying it has issued a “guidance policy” to members and “it was not our intention to alarm the public or be insensitive to the trauma that loved ones may face should a member of their family die from the disease.”

Harsh but fair?

Or peak silly?

YOU decide.

Funeral directors urge immediate burials for virus victims (RTÉ)

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21 thoughts on “Don’t Bring Out Your Dead

  1. Lily Pop

    No funerals for the dead but we’re still importing people from the most infected regions in the world.

    Makes total sense.

      1. V

        Especially Irish Funerals

        Which also have the indignity of being an establish forum for political canvassing

  2. Formerly Known As @ireland.com

    Seriously, it is important to see the corpse, to know the person has passed away. I suppose a photo might work.

  3. ivan

    Local undertaker handing wipes to family members as folk filed past to offer their condolences.

    That won’t do much for business, I muttered

    1. some old queen

      It has been reported that 60 people contracted it at one funeral in Spain- it would be hard to keep the social distance thing at a funeral. All it would take is for the bereaved to be the one already infected.

      1. V

        I get that – don’t attend the funeral, and ask mourners to stay away
        And complete the services etc quickly

        That Statement above is like something from the 80s in response to taking care of Aids victims

        1. Cian

          The full advice was more sensible – minimise your interaction with the virus-infected bodies:


          – Relatives of the deceased are not permitted to attend the funeral director’s offices or funeral homes.
          – In the event of a Covid-19 death, the Dublin City Coroner has confirmed that there will be no post-mortem examination required, provided the deceased had been previously diagnosed as having contracted the disease. Funeral directors should check with their local coroner to confirm if the same policy applies in their area.
          – Clearance will be ascertained in the normal way through the GP or attending hospital doctor. In the event of a suspected Covid-19 death, where the deceased was not diagnosed, then this is notifiable to the local coroner to confirm if the same policy applies in their area.
          – Funeral directors and their staff removing the deceased should use all protective personal equipment such as gloves, face masks, gowns, aprons, covering suits and boots.
          – The deceased should always be removed from the place of death in a body bag, which is not reopened.
          – Removal vehicles should be hygienically cleaned after the removal of remains and all gloves and other disposable equipment should be disposed of safely.
          – Where possible the deceased should be removed to a designated area within the funeral director’s facilities or those of an out-sourced provider, for example, an isolated cold room.
          – The deceased should not be embalmed.
          – The deceased should be placed in the selected coffin and the coffin closed.
          – Public gatherings such as church services, at funeral homes residences and crematorium chapels should not take place.
          – The deceased should be brought straight to the crematorium or cemetery for committal.
          – The family should be advised that they may have a memorial service at a later date.
          – Transport for families should not be provided.

  4. Rosette of Sirius

    I spend some time in west Africa during the Ebola outbreak and I can say that for a number of weeks safe burials did not occur and increased transmission. Then, as safe burials began, the cultural effect of undignified and unattended burials really began to set in and I can say that it was easily one of the most traumatic things I had ever witnessed. Luckily things began to take shape with the interventions of some household name NGOs and things began to dramatically improve. So. The dead can’t care. The living really really do. Breaking with such long standing traditions is one of the last taboos and be prepared for enormous, generational societal damage if not managed correctly.

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