WHEN someone tragically dies from coronavirus it cannot be treated like other deaths.

Even after a person has passed away, there is still a real risk of infection to other people.

That’s why public health professionals have taken the heartbreaking decision to restrict access to patients dying from the virus.

Guidance published on Oldham Council’s website states that a loved one with Covid-19 being treated in hospital will only be allowed a 15-minute visit per day by one person.

If a patient dies while in hospital, their faith requirements will be fulfilled by hospital staff under guidance of the chaplaincy teams.

Once a body is released from hospital to the mortuary, it will be in a sealed plastic bag which cannot be removed.

This means family and friends will not be able to see their loved one after their death.

The process of registering the death of someone who has died of coronavirus is also different to the usual process, where a family would do it themselves.

The medical death certificate will be completed by the hospital and sent electronically to the Registrar, who will register the death and complete an electronic ‘green form’.

This will be sent to the mortuary to allow the release of the body.

Families will then be able to organise for a funeral director to contact the mortuary, who will arrange for collection of the body.

Funeral directors have received guidance on how to carry out a coronavirus funeral with as "few risks as possible" and will also disinfect the outside of the coffin.

Where someone dies from Covid-19 outside of hospital, such as at home or in a care facility, if the death could be "reasonably expected" a clinician will issue a death certificate.

The funeral parlour will be responsible for carrying out any faith requests ahead of the funeral.

There is also an out-of-hours registrar service operating in Oldham to ensure that, if required, funerals are able to take place as quickly as possible.

This is a volunteer system to enable Muslim funerals to take place over a weekend and is covered by two volunteer deputy registrars who are contacted by the undertakers to issue the burial forms and arrange death registration within 24 hours.

At the funeral, more measures to try and prevent infection are also in place.

This means that no family members from the same household as the deceased person can be present if they are self-isolating – unless 14 days have passed since the first case before the funeral.

No one with symptoms or who is deemed extremely vulnerable should attend, and funeral prayers will be limited to a maximum of 10 mourners.

The restriction also applies to cremations, with only 10 mourners permitted in the crematorium chapel for a funeral.

The pallbearers who carry the coffin to the burial site are limited to four people, and must not be showing any signs of coronavirus or have been in contact with anyone with the virus.

Social distancing protocols must be maintained "as best as possible", including travelling to the graveyard, and the burial will be completed quickly.

Officers from Oldham Council are enforcing the limit on mourners at funerals.

A spokesperson said: “People are being politely asked by their undertakers and staff working together to observe social distancing.”