Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 31:2:129-137.
doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2020.03.007. eCollection 2020.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): General guidance for the management of the dead related to COVID-19

Affiliations

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): General guidance for the management of the dead related to COVID-19

Oran Finegan et al. Forensic Sci Int Synerg. .

Abstract

Based on its forensic capacity and experience gained worldwide from the management of the dead in emergencies, including epidemics, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been asked by the authorities and other relevant stakeholders in some of its operational contexts to advise on the management of the dead from COVID-19 infection, for which it has prepared the following guidance. This includes advice on the handling of COVID-19 fatalities and a set of considerations for managers faced with the need to plan for adequately responding to a possible surge in fatalities caused by COVID-19.

Keywords: Coronavirus; Epidemics; Humanitarian Forensic Action; Mass Fatality Response; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

    1. Cordner S., Tidball-Binz M. Humanitarian forensic action – its origins and future. FSI. 2017;279:65–71. - PubMed
    1. Cordner S., Bower H., Tidball-Binz M. The Ebola epidemic in Liberia and managing the dead – a future role for Humanitarian Forensic Action? FSI. 2017;279:302–309. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . 2020. Infection Prevention and Control during Health Care when Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) Infection Is Suspected (Interim Guidance) Geneva.
    1. World Health Organization . Interim guidance); Geneva: 2020. Infection Prevention and Control for the Safe Management of a Dead Body in the Context of COVID-19.
    1. Cordner S., Coninx R., Kim H.-J., Alpen D.V., Tidball-Binz M., editors. Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters. A Field Manual for First Responders, Second ed.. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 2016. Geneva.