Statistics Act, 1999
R 385
Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)NoticesDirections from the Department of Health to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-1910. Measures when a person passes on at home |
| (1) | In the event that a person dies at home of COVID-19, the person or persons attending to the mortal remains must not, at any stage, handle the mortal remains. |
| (2) | Emergency Medical Services must be called immediately to declare the person dead, before removal by an undertaker. |
| (3) | The deceased person's apparel and other articles on the deceased person's body must be handled with gloves and cleaned with a detergent followed by disinfection with a solution of at least 70% ethanol or 0.1% (1000 ppm) bleach. |
| (4) | Clothing and other fabric worn by the deceased must be machine washed with warm water at 60°-90°C (140-194°F) and laundry detergent. |
| (5) | If machine washing is not possible, linens may be soaked in hot water and soap in a large drum using a stick to stir while being careful to avoid splashing. |
| (6) | The drum must then be emptied, and the linens must be soaked in 0.05% chlorine for approximately 30 minutes. Finally, the laundry must be rinsed with clean water and the linens must be allowed to dry in full sunlight. |
| (7) | A specimen must be taken from a person who died outside of a health facility, excluding death as a result of trauma, by a— |
| (a) | medical practitioner when certifying a death at home; |
| (b) | medical practitioner at a funeral parlour when certifying a death; or |
| (c) | mortician or professional nurse at a funeral parlour. |
[Direction 10(7) inserted by section 2 of Notice No. 1278, GG43954, dated 3 December 2020]
