Consultation group looked at how to manage Covid deaths

Former Archbishop of Dublin raised issue of harshness of people seeing relatives brought to ICU or hospital and then never seeing [them] again. File Picture

Funeral directors falling sick, elderly priests cocooning, and the “high emotional impact” of seeing somebody brought to ICU and not being seen again were among the concerns raised at a special committee on how to manage deaths during Covid-19.

The details are contained in the minutes of a bereavement consultation group set up by the Government in the early days of the pandemic.

The high-level group was attended virtually by bishops, funeral home directors, HSE representatives and other senior civil servants.

At the first meeting in March 2020, one member warned of the risk of funeral directors falling sick and nobody being available.

“If funeral directors fall ill, back-up plan required perhaps via local authority,” noted the minutes. 

“Also concerns re continuity of PPE supply, financial resources possibly needed, cashflow and supply chain.” 

The then archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin told the meeting there was a high number of elderly priests who would need to cocoon.

Crowding at graveyards

A meeting the following month was told plans needed to be made for where large numbers of funerals were taking place and crowding became an issue at graveyards or crematoria.

Concerns were also raised about a “pinch point” developing, where bodies were being released by hospitals to mortuaries and places of burial.

The meeting noted: “Request to monitor that paperwork/clearance as speedy and smooth as possible to avoid logjam.” 

A third meeting detailed how Archbishop Martin talked of the terrible impact of a Covid death.

The notes said: “[He] raised issue of harshness of people seeing relatives brought to ICU or hospital and then never seeing [them] again – high emotional impact – high distress.” 

The HSE confirmed it sought to guarantee close family access in cases where a person was considered unlikely to come through, “provided it could be done safely”. The meeting was told guidelines should be created so that people could have some “contact/closure”.

On April 23, concerns were raised about the traditional blessing of graves that took place in early summer. “Outdoors, large numbers, potentially problematic,” said the minutes.

A meeting the following week was told of signs people were “becoming less compliant” at funerals as time went on.

Funeral directors said it was becoming “difficult to control [with] more people turning up”.