Even after death, restrictions apply to COVID-19 victims Medical authorities on Thursday explained that the handling of deceased COVID-19 patients, including closed caskets at funerals, is in line with strict infection and control prevention to protect loved ones and death care workers. Grieving loved ones have been publicly lamenting their inability to be involved in the handling of the bodies of family and friends or even view them during their final sendoff for closure. At Thursday’s COVID-19 update held at Ilaro Court, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Anton Best acknowledged it’s a difficult but unavoidable process that is intended to protect all concerned. “With COVID you are still infectious when you are dead, we want to protect the death care workers,” Dr Best told journalists. “So the standard procedures of infection prevention and control, wearing PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] apply. What also applies to the management of a dead body is that autopsies are not done. “If the person has died from COVID, the reason why an autopsy is not done is because you may do something call aerosol generation where you get the COVID-19 particles or virus particles in the air and then that puts the death care worker at risk.” Dr Adanna Grandison, Consultant Manager of Home Quarantine, who also works with the Coroner’s office, told journalists that rapid or standard PCR tests are conducted on those suspected of having died from the virus which has so far claimed 88 lives here. Read the rest of the article in the comment section below 👇🏾 #coviddeaths #thechasefiles #noopencasket #noautopsies #noclosure #heathcareworkers #pathologists #highlycontagious #covid19inbarbados https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxJ4VJAsuymOYZHl-ok6rkl0f_bAiHxqjciOo0/?utm_medium=tumblr