Update from France:
The High Council of Public Health has issued a new advisory on the contagion of the deceased:
- Preparatory measures for funeral without using water is allowed.
- Embalming is still forbidden.
- Presentation of the deceased is now allowed in the body bag by opening it 10 cm. Restriction of not allowing family members to see their deceased was waived.
- All handling of the deceased must be done with PPE.
All three French professional funeral federations (private and public) have written to the Prime Minister to denounce the lack of equipment to accomplish our mission and have also requested to be listed as priority professions to access the masks. However, we have not yet had any.
Furthermore, the government has simplified the funeral regulations for one month knowing that each file will have to be regulated. Religious authorities, such as Muslim and Jewish recommend not to touch the body of a deceased.
Update from the UK: (from the Cremation Society)
The bereavement sector in the UK is represented by a number of organisations, covering both funeral directors and those who manage, provide and work in cemeteries and crematoria. There has always been a great deal of mutual support and cooperation between all the kindred organisations.
In view, however, of the current extraordinary circumstances in which our communities and individuals now find themselves, the organisations have agreed to work together in order to be able to better support not only their members but society as a whole.
As the Deceased Management Advisory Group (DMAG), representatives from each of the following organisations will work together to develop a consensus approach to the many challenging issues which now face the sector.
- The Association of Private Crematoria and Cemeteries (APCC)
- Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA)
- Funeral Furnishing Manufacturers' Association (FFMA)
- Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM)
- National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)
- National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)
- The Cremation Society
During the current national emergency, we will all seek to deliver ongoing support to bereaved people in the United Kingdom.
We have launched a website and a Twitter page: www.dmag2020.org and Twitter: @DMAG2020
We update these sites on a daily basis.