COVID-19: Undertakers are now worried about their safety

Some undertakers in the Western Cape says they’re concerned about their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is despite receiving training since mid-March on how to handle bodies of coronavirus cases. At least 42 of the 116 COVID-19-related deaths in the country have come from the Western Cape. Mguda Funeral Services is a small business in Cape Town that has had to adapt its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Owner Makhaya Mguda says they reached out to provincial government after dealing with their first suspected case. While the officials were helpful, he says he and his staff are nervous of being infected.

“While it is scary, and obviously we are all anxious and there are a lot of fears, but there’s nothing we can do about it, only that we have to live with what we have.”
The training of undertakers is the responsibility of local government. Mguda’s staff has since been trained by the Western Cape’s Forensic Pathology Services on how to wear personal protective equipment, the handling of a body, disinfecting of equipment and vehicles and the disposal of waste.

“Once we get into a home, if it is a home, we stand outside and we have to ask the family member whether this person died of COVID or whether it is a suspect or whether he’s had any contact or association with a person with COVID-19.

“Whether they say yes or no, we have to explain to them that when we go inside the house we have to decontaminate the house as well as the deceased, while the deceased is lying there,” said Mguda. For bigger businesses, staffers are relying not only on training but on previous experience in dealing with communicable diseases. As soon as they start handling it, or they had dealings with a COVID-19 deceased, it sort of eases up,” said Pieter van der Westhuizen, Avbob funeral services general manager.

“It’s nothing different than any other highly contagious disease that we’ve dealt with before in our lives, let’s get on. The City of Cape Town says it has also provided training to those funeral parlours that have requested it.  Coronavirus Hotline Number: 0800 029 999 from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday

Help protect your loved ones by sharing this official South African government COVID-19 service with your family, friends and community. Send HI to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp.

The NICD has another Clinician Hotline to improve #COVID19 communication and support for healthcare providers. The Clinician Hotline is 0800 11 1131, operating 24 hrs. The Public Hotline is 0800 029 999 also operating 24hrs.

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Source: eNCA