Bodies of COVID Victims Can Be Taken Home for 1 Hour: Kerala CM

The CM added that the new policy will assure that relatives are able to pay their last respects to the victims.

Image used for representational purposes only.

(Photo: PTI)

Kerala Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday, 29 June, said that the bodies of COVID-19 victims will be allowed to be taken home for one hour for the kin to pay their last respects, reported ANI.

The CM added: "The family members and relatives of those who lose their lives to COVID-19 are unable to pay their last respects, which is, in turn, adding to emotional distress.”

So far, the bodies of COVID victims were being taken directly to cremation and burial grounds from hospitals. Restrictions on the number of people attending funerals and last rites have been eased by several states.

In September 2020, Calculata High Court ruled that bodies of COVID victims shall be handed over to their relatives for completion of last rites following safety protocols, reported Hindustan Times.

The court also laid down guidelines for the state government to follow. In its order, the court stated after the completion of hospital formalities, the body should be secured in a body bag, with the face end preferably transparent, and the exterior sanitised to minimise the risk of infection.

“At that time, religious rituals, such as reading from holy scripts, sprinkling holy water, offering grains, etc that do not require touching the body should be allowed,” reported Hindustan Times, quoting the order.

Can Bodies of COVID Patients Spread the Virus?

In a July 2020 The Hindu report, Kerala District Medical Officer KJ Reena stated that COVID-19 cannot spread from dead bodies that have been properly cremated or buried in compliance with all protocols.

“SARS-CoV-2 spreads through small droplets from the mouth or nose when an infected person sneezes or coughs. The body fluid of the dead person does not come into contact with people if the relatives are allowed to view the body from a distance. After that, the body is cremated or buried according to religious practices,” reported The Hindu, quoting the DMO.

In September 2020, a study conducted by medical experts from AIIMS, Bhopal, studied whether patients who died of COVID remain infectious after their death.

The study's initial findings indicated no existence or proliferation of the virus on the body’s surface, which is in line with the scientific point of view.

"So far, there is no evidence of the infection spreading from bodies to healthy people. There have been situations where people who attended funerals of COVID-19 patients reported testing positive for the infection later. However, there’s no proof of any transmission from the deceased,” reported the The New Indian Express, quoting AIIMS, Bhopal, Director Sarman Singh.

“As a microbiologist, I did not believe that the COVID-19 infection can be caused by a body. But still, I felt a detailed study was needed to find out and validate the truth.”

Dr Sarman Singh, Director AIIMS Bhopal

While bacteria can grow and multiply on a dead body through the body’s flesh and blood, it is unlikely for a virus to proliferate inside the body after death, reported FIT.

Pune Municipal Corporation' COVID Death Policy

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) said on 1 April that bodies of COVID-19 patients who die at home must be taken care of by their relatives while the civic body will help in the process.

Each locality’s ward officer will provide a body bag and four PPE kits for the kin, authorities informed. The guidelines stated that they should be wearing the kit as they place the body in the bag and load it onto the hearse van.

While the decision by the Kerala CM will allow grieving families some closure and dignity in death for the victims, it is important that proper physical distancing and other safety precautions are maintained at home and at cremation and burial grounds.