Practical Guidelines

How to Have a Home Funeral During a Pandemic

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(adapted from Home Funerals Guides and Pandemic Care)
Safe and Appropriate Home Body Care for the Deceased

Limit the number of people involved in all facets of care
Use the same universal precautions that were used during home care, including masks, gloves, gowns, etc.
Put a mask on the deceased to avoid respiration of droplets
Place ice higher on the back of the neck
Avoid chest compression or unnecessary moving
Insist on social distancing in all phases

Filing Paperwork Without a Funeral Director

Paper death certificates may be difficult to obtain or submit due to social distancing in offices; filing electronically via a local funeral director may be the only expeditious way to obtain a death certificate
Usual filing procedures may be suspended or modified; contact your town clerk (or appropriate town, city, county, or state officials in other locales) for temporary protocols and restrictions
Be prepared that Medical Examiner’s offices may insert themselves into routine non-COVID-19 deaths as a public health precaution

If a Funeral Director is Needed

Make calls until you find a funeral director supportive of family involvement who is willing to help with filing and body transport while honoring the home funeral elements that are still possible and important to you
For general context on home funerals in ordinary circumstances, visit our How to Have a Home Funeral page

Organizations with Supplementary Information

National Funeral Directors Association COVID-19 Guidance
Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Guidance
Green Burial Council
Check the website of your state’s health authority or governor for COVID-19 restrictions specific to your state

Much of the information on our other pages can provide useful background for family-directed care for the dead and hiring funeral service professionals, including our Glossary, How to Arrange Disposition, How to Work with Professionals, How to Create Ceremony, How to Go Out Greener, and our imagination-expanding Read Their Stories (coming soon). Just keep in mind these pages reflect normal circumstances; you will have to factor in the limitations and stressors on all helping systems referenced here.