Challenges of Burying Muslim Corpses During COVID-19 Pandemic- a glimpse into Iran

COVID-19 has affected all social, economic, and religious stratum of life. One of the consequences of an epidemic as a disaster is the death of a significant number of patients, which is more severe in the case of highly contagious diseases such as COVID-19 (1). Corpse management includes searching, finding, and organizing corpses, storing, identifying, documenting, burying, and funeral corpses based on regional beliefs, delivering corpses to families, and supporting families. The handling of dead bodies is one of the most challenging aspects of the response phase, especially during the primary disaster response phase (2). As part of the management of corpses of COVID-19 patients, all health and care principles need to be observed, including hand hygiene, surface disinfection, and using personal protective equipment for transportation of corpses to the cemetery, including eyeglasses, gloves, shields, and masks. The dead must be buried quickly without performing the funeral ceremony while maintaining social distance to minimize movement and contact with the body. Therefore, traditional and religious ceremonies in respect for the deceased and the survivors can have an impact on this process (1, 2).