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Covid-19: No deaths yet, but rules in place for funeral firms to handle fatalities from infectious virus

SINGAPORE — Funeral companies here have been gearing up for possible Covid-19 deaths in the past month, with the authorities spelling out rules for crew members handling the remains of infected patients.

A staff member at The Life Celebrant, a funeral firm in Geylang Bahru, in personal protective gear.

A staff member at The Life Celebrant, a funeral firm in Geylang Bahru, in personal protective gear.

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SINGAPORE — Funeral companies here have been gearing up for possible Covid-19 deaths in the past month, with the authorities spelling out rules for crew members handling the remains of infected patients.

Some firms have established teams that will be dispatched to handle patients who die from Covid-19, TODAY has learnt.

These moves come as government leaders and infectious-disease doctors have repeatedly warned of the prospect of a death from the disease in Singapore.

Singapore has not recorded any Covid-19 deaths so far. Confirmed cases in the city-state stood at 166 as of 3pm on Wednesday (March 11), with 12 patients in critical condition.

The fatality rate for Covid-19 has not been established by experts, though estimates range from 1 to 3 per cent of infected people. The rate may be subject to variables such as the quality of healthcare.

As recently as last Friday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said it was inevitable that Singapore would record fatalities from the virus, which has killed more than 4,000 people and sickened 119,000 in more than 100 countries worldwide.

In response to queries from TODAY, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said only funeral firms whose employees have undergone the basic infection-control course conducted by the National Centre for Infectious Diseases can collect, casket and transport bodies for cremation or burial.

Ang Chin Moh Funeral Directors, a parlour in Geylang Bahru, has set up a team for Covid-19 cases comprising six experienced funeral professionals, including funeral directors and assistants.

A team of three will be deployed each time it is called upon.

Mr Ang Zisheng, the director of the parlour, said his firm had been honing its procedures since the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak of 2003.

“Over the past 17 years, we have ensured that all staff, old and new, are constantly updated on the required protocols to handle any person who passes away from an infectious disease,” he said.

Mr Calvin Tang, assistant general manager of the Singapore Casket on Lavender Street, said most of the 30 or so members of its operations department had undergone infection-control training conducted by the authorities.

“If there is a case, we’ll send a team who is able to handle and who has attended the infectious-disease course,” he said.

Ms Ang Jolie Mei, managing director of The Life Celebrant, which is also in Geylang Bahru, said her funeral business has a five-member “task force” that will be deployed to handle Covid-19 cases.

At the Singapore Funeral Company in Tampines Link, chief executive officer Nicky Teo said staff members responsible for the remains of Covid-19 patients would specialise in such cases and would not mix with other crew. “We will closely monitor their health,” he said.

BRIEF FUNERAL WAKES ALLOWED: NEA

In a circular on Feb 7 to funeral firms — a copy of which was seen by TODAY — the NEA, which regulates parlours, said hospital employees would double-bag the remains of those who had or were suspected to have had the Covid-19 infection, using sealed and leak-proof heavy-duty cadaveric body bags.

Healthcare workers may perform religious rites in an isolation ward before a body is bagged, it added.

Bodies must be placed in a “hermetically sealed” coffin, meaning it must be completely airtight, and the coffin is to be wiped and disinfected only in the hospital mortuary, said the circular.

The remains should not be sprayed, washed or embalmed, the NEA added.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) told TODAY that ritual washing and embalming are not allowed owing to the “potential of disease spread” when persons handling the body come into contact with bodily fluids of a patient who has died from the virus.

The NEA added in its circular that funeral wakes should be brief. They should be held within three days, for instance.

“Funeral directors can also strongly advise families on the option of just holding a brief prayer service at the cremation service hall to address any concerns of holding a funeral/wake/prayer in a more public place,” the agency said.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, the NEA said funeral wakes were allowed as long as there is no contact with the body.

“However, to minimise any potential risk posed by contact among large numbers of visitors during the wake, families will be advised to keep the funeral wakes short wherever possible,” it added.

Funeral directors said things were different during the Sars outbreak, where wakes were disallowed and bodies were cremated immediately.

They added that visitors are likely to avoid the funeral wakes of infected persons, and they would encourage families to hold memorial services after cremation or burial.

The NEA said that on Feb 21, it provided MOH with a list of funeral firms that are able and willing to handle Covid-19-related cases.

The NEA did not provide TODAY with this list as requested, but said that it had provided hospitals with the list and staff members will advise affected families when such information is needed.

FUNERAL FIRMS EQUIPPED WITH PROTECTIVE GEAR

Funeral firms and the NEA said funeral workers would be suitably protected when they carry out their work.

For instance, those responsible for such cases will don personal protective equipment, such as gloves and surgical masks, which protect wearers from the risk of infection.

Mr Tang of the Singapore Casket said his colleagues already wear personal protective equipment when dealing with the remains of those who had suffered from other infectious diseases, such as H1N1 and HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus).

His parlour has also been treating cases that involve seamen who die in international waters as suspected Covid-19 cases.

The firm handled two such cases last month and one this month, and crew members donned personal protective equipment as a precaution, he said.

“We are already well prepared. If there really is a death, we are able to handle it,” he said.

The Association of Funeral Directors Singapore, which represents 36 established players in the profession, said the training and precautions for Covid-19 cases were the same as those for Sars.

“Funeral companies have reinforced the guidelines of handling such cases to their staff members,” said the association’s spokesperson.

Funeral firms are also not taking chances with non-Covid-19 funerals, with temperature checks in place for visitors to wakes. Vehicles and equipment are also disinfected more often.

The Singapore Casket has advised its employees to put on masks if they are unwell and to avoid travelling overseas to reduce the risk of infection.

“We have to be responsible to our customers,” said Mr Tang.

 

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Funeral coronavirus Covid-19 Wuhan virus

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