 Welcome to the International Committee of the Red Cross Responder Awareness Explainer for the COVID-19 Guidelines. This video is part of the ICRC's Management of the Dead training material. It presents additional information relating to COVID-19. COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, has spread around the world and caused the infection and deaths of many people. COVID-19 is highly contagious and spreads very easily from person to person, no matter who they are or where they are from. When an infected person talks, shouts, coughs or sneezes, small droplets of liquid from their body can infect someone nearby. It might even be possible to become infected by touching something that has the virus on it, such as door handles, clothing or personal possessions, and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. It is vital to protect yourself from getting or even spreading COVID-19. In day-to-day life, you should try to keep your distance from other people, called physical distancing. Wash your hands regularly, stay at home if you can, and wear a face mask when in public or around other people, even if you don't think you have the virus. Some people infected with the virus might have a very mild illness or not show any symptoms at all, but others, especially those with pre-existing conditions, can get so sick that they pass away. Contact with an infected body or body fluid has the potential to spread the infection. This means people like us, body handlers who are going to recover, move and take care of the dead, may come into contact with many potentially infected people and dead bodies, particularly in places like hospitals, temporary storage facilities and homes. However, body handlers can stay protected from the virus, but only if you are specially trained, very careful and follow important safety procedures. It is vital that you have read and understand the management of the dead field manual and that you follow all those procedures and precautions as normal. In addition, the COVID-19 General Guidelines document contains new information and special precautions which you must read and know in order to avoid infection from the dead. This video is an introduction to these guidelines and a summary of the procedures that you will be learning. As always, before travelling to or entering an area, you should assess whether it is safe for body handlers to work. It is extremely important to learn how to wear and use your protective personal equipment or PPE. Proper use and disposal of PPE is vital to protecting yourself and your family from infection. And of course, never reuse disposable items or use items that are damaged or torn. As PPE is vital to protecting yourself from infection, you should ensure you have enough PPE at all times and find out how to best get new supplies before you run out. You should avoid touching your face and mouth at all times. When you are wearing PPE, you should never touch personal possessions, documents, water bottles, door handles or furniture. It is more important than ever to learn proper procedures to disinfect yourself and the equipment you use before, during and after handling bodies. You should wash your hands regularly, especially after safely removing your PPE. The virus can be removed from your hands by washing thoroughly with soap and water. The virus can be removed from surfaces and objects by using common household cleaning products or bleach. You must learn how to disinfect all surfaces you may come into contact with, including cleaning non-disposable equipment, as well as stationery and other tools used during the collection of information. As always, deaths must be confirmed by a qualified healthcare worker, and all deaths must be reported to the authorities before the scene and body is disturbed. Body waste and any fluid on or from a body must be assumed to be carrying the virus and could infect you if you're not careful. You must be properly protected with PPE according to the level of risk before handling anybody or contacting anybody waste or fluid. You should only use heavy duty or infectious disease body bags when recovering and transporting the dead. Where these are not available, you can instead use two regular body bags. All surfaces and objects in the area should be assumed to have the virus on them. This includes the personal possessions of the deceased, which should be carefully cleaned and disinfected before being returned to the families. Environments, surfaces and vehicles where the body was present should also be disinfected. You should also learn to inform healthcare workers, families and workers at mortuaries, storage facilities, religious centres, cemeteries or crematoriums that the body may have the COVID-19 virus and care should be taken at all stages. Whether or not someone has died from COVID-19, it is important that the dead are treated with dignity throughout the process, and their identities are maintained. The dead, their families and loved ones should be treated with respect and compassion. You may be going into an area or home with very different cultural or religious practices to your own. It is very important that there is understanding between the families and body handlers on what will be done with the body of their loved one, that the body should not be kissed and may not be touched without supervision and appropriate PPE, and why extra precautions are being taken to prevent COVID-19 infection from spreading. If a family member wants to put something personal into the body bag, container or coffin, allow them to do so safely and without risk of spreading infection. There is a lot to learn about how to safely operate in a time of COVID-19 infection, but by following the COVID-19 general guidelines and all normal management of the dead procedures, you and the team can remain safe from infection, give dignity to the dead and provide closure to families. For more information, contact your local ICRC forensic specialist or visit icrc.org.