During the last week, the CDC has shared updated COVID-19 guidance and OSHA has released a new guidance document on ventilation.
The CDC has updated its webpages with guidance related to funeral home workers and post-mortem care of the dead. It should ne noted the guidance has not significantly changed; rather, information has been reformatted and consolidated to put pertinent information in one place.
The “Funeral Guidance for Individuals and Families,” guidance intended for consumers who have to plan a funeral during the pandemic, has changed most significantly, with the addition of a new “Guiding Principles" section that emphasizes the risks associated with larger services. The section notes that social distancing becomes challenging when there are more people in a confined space and shares safety principles families should keep in mind when planning a service.
The updated CDC documents are:
- Funeral Home Workers: CDC updated information for funeral home workers on handling decedents who had COVID-19, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/funeral-faqs.html
- Funeral Guidance for Individuals and Families: This guidance is for individuals and families as they work with funeral directors, community and religious leaders and others to plan and hold funeral services and visitations during the COVID-19 pandemic, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/funeral-guidance.html
- Frequently Asked Questions – Funeral and Burial Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives: At the request of tribal leaders, federal partners developed this COVID-19 fact sheet to help guide tribes with funeral and burial health and safety, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/tribal/faq-burial-practice.html
- Collection and Submission of Postmortem Specimens from Deceased Persons with Known or Suspected COVID-19: CDC updated information on the collection and submission of postmortem specimens from deceased persons with known or suspected COVID-19, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-postmortem-specimens.html
- FAQs for Medicolegal Death Investigators: CMedicolegal death investigators work within the medicolegal death investigation systems (i.e., offices of medical examiners and coroners) to investigate sudden, unexpected, and unnatural deaths, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/medicolegal-faq.html
A new OSHA Alert provides tips on how heating, ventilation, and air conditioning professionals can help employers optimize building ventilation to reduce the risk of workers being exposed to the coronavirus. Find it here: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA4103.pdf.
NFDA’s COVID-19 Information Hub, www.nfda.org/covid-19, has been updated with these updated guidance documents. NFDA continues to updated the COVID-19 Information Hub whenever new information or guidance becomes available.