Am I at risk if I attend a funeral for someone who died of COVID-19?

April 13, 2020

Question: Am I at risk if I go to a funeral or visitation service for someone who died of COVID-19?

Answer: There is currently no known risk associated with being in the same room at a funeral or visitation service with the body of someone who died of COVID-19.

We encourage the remains to be embalmed and disinfected, reducing risks to the general public and family exposure. Embalming is an effective measure of disinfection and has unofficially proven to reduce the virus’s sustainability in a dead host. It is still recommended that PPE be worn when handling an embalmed COVID-19 case (suspected or confirmed) as data is inconclusive if the virus remains volatile in an embalmed body.

Some funeral homes are offering gloves and masks to family so they may come in contact with the embalmed remains while they say their good-byes.