Maryland Funeral Resources & Education
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Practical Guidelines

How to Have a Home Funeral During a Pandemic

PictureClick on image to view video
(adapted from Home Funerals Guides and Pandemic Care)
Safe and Appropriate Home Body Care for the Deceased
  • Limit the number of people involved in all facets of care
  • Use the same universal precautions that were used during home care, including masks, gloves, gowns, etc.
  • Put a mask on the deceased to avoid respiration of droplets
  • Place ice higher on the back of the neck
  • Avoid chest compression or unnecessary moving
  • Insist on social distancing in all phases

Filing Paperwork Without a Funeral Director
  • Paper death certificates may be difficult to obtain or submit due to social distancing in offices; filing electronically via a local funeral director may be the only expeditious way to obtain a death certificate
  • Usual filing procedures may be suspended or modified; contact your town clerk (or appropriate town, city, county, or state officials in other locales) for temporary protocols and restrictions
  • Be prepared that Medical Examiner’s offices may insert themselves into routine non-COVID-19 deaths as a public health precaution

If a Funeral Director is Needed
  • Make calls until you find a funeral director supportive of family involvement who is willing to help with filing and body transport while honoring the home funeral elements that are still possible and important to you
  • For general context on home funerals in ordinary circumstances, visit our How to Have a Home Funeral page

  • National Funeral Directors Association COVID-19 Guidance 
  • Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 Guidance

Learn how to:

Perform Body Care
Complete Paperwork
Arrange Disposition
Transport the Dead
Create Ceremony
Go Out Greener
Work with Professionals
​Pay For a Funeral

learn about:

How to Get Help
Maryland Funeral Law
Professional Education
Community Education
Home Funeral Resources
FAQs
​Glossary of Terms
Stories
 (coming soon)o
Maryland Funeral Resources and Education is a non-commercial public interest site dedicated to helping Maryland consumers care for their own dead with or without the assistance of a funeral director. All rights reserved  © FuneralPartnership.org

Maryland Funeral Resources and Education

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Landscape photos courtesy of various photographers. Find photo credits here.
Website design Lee Webster,
​SideEffects Publishing
  • Home
  • How To
    • Get Help Now
    • Learn the Law
    • Have a Home Funeral
    • Perform Body Care >
      • Cooling Techniques
    • Complete Paperwork
    • Arrange Disposition
    • Transport the Dead
    • Create Ceremony
    • Go Out Greener
    • Pay for a Funeral
    • Work with Professionals
  • Learn More
    • Resources for Professionals
    • Tools for Community Education
    • Books, Articles, Organizations
    • Glossary
    • Sample Forms
    • Special Circumstances >
      • Guidance for Care at Home
      • Practical Guidelines
      • Ceremony Resources
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us