Click HERE to be taken directly to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Situation Update: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) website page.

Your local and/or state public health officials may be making recommendations for the care of decedents and/or public gatherings that are more stringent than what the CDC and federal government have recommended. In these cases, you should defer to your state and/or local public health officials.

The CDC has advised if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and/or develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice. If you are concerned about a potential exposure, this risk assessment for healthcare personnel (HCP) from the CDC may be useful.

Breaking News from NFDA

• FEMA Updates Funeral Assistance Video
• FEMA Updates Documentation Requirements for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
• OSHA, COVID and Funeral Homes
• FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Nears $280 Million
• NCA Lifts Restrictions on Attendance at Committal Services, Adjusts COVID Safety Precautions
• Two Senators Call for Congressional Oversight of FEMA Funeral Assistance Program
• FEMA Funeral Assistance FAQ For Funeral Directors
• Did You Get a Call from FEMA?
• Update: National Personnel Records Center Operational Status
• Learn About COVID-19 Vaccination Tax Credit
• How Do We Remember Pandemic Victims?
• Email Causes Confusion Over FEMA Funeral Assistance
• The FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program Explained
• FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance NFDA Member Toolkit
• FEMA Funeral Assistance Hotline to Open April 12
• FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance: Connecting With Families & Your Community - Free Members-only Webinar
• President Signs Bill Extending PPP
• NFDA to Host Two More Webinars with FEMA
• FEMA Issues Final Policy for COVID Funeral Reimbursement
• Congress Extends FEMA Funeral Reimbursement for COVID Deaths to 2025
• Funeral Service and The American Rescue Plan of 2021
• NFDA Speaks: FEMA Funding for COVID-related Deaths
• Breaking Down the New OSHA Guidance on COVID-19
• Update: FEMA Funeral Reimbursement for COVID-related Deaths
• Breaking Down the New OSHA Guidance on COVID-19
• Update: FEMA Funeral Reimbursement for COVID-related Deaths
• New OSHA Guidance on COVID-19
• President Issues National Strategy for Fighting COVID-19
• Stimulus Bill Included Funeral Assistance for Pandemic Victims
• COVID-19 Vaccines: An Update
• New Legal Form: Employment Verification for COVID Vaccination
• COVID-19 Vaccines: What You Need to Know
• Funeral Directors to Get Top Priority for COVID-19 Vaccine
• COVID Impacts Veteran Burials Southeast New Mexico and West Texas
• Updated COVID-19 Guidance
• COVID-19: CDC Updates Definition of “Close Contact”
• FFCRA – Employer Posting Requirements
• CDC Acknowledges COVID-19 Spreads Via Airborne Transmission
• Funeral Directors to Get Top Priority for COVID-19 Vaccine
• OSHA Offers Free COVID-19 Resources for Your Employees
• Stay Safe – Follow Label Directions When Using Disinfectants
• Did You Miss the COVID-19 Discussion Panel During the Leadership Conference?
• The Scoop on Masks
• Are You Planning Ahead?
• New From the CDC: “FAQs for Medicolegal Death Investigators
• EPA Provides Additional Options for COVID-19 Disinfectants
• CDC Updates Regulations on the Importation of Human Remains
• Available Now: Reopening Guidance for Funeral Homes During the Coronavirus Crisis
• CDC Updates Public Gathering Guidance
• VA Resumes Committal and Burial Services Halted During COVID-19 Pandemic
• PPP Forgiveness Application and Instructions
• NFDA Offers Free Masks
• Legislative Alert: HEROES Act Update
• Ask Congress to Include Funeral Service the HEROES Fund
• Peters, Bustos, Kinzinger Lead Bipartisan Push to Include Funeral Benefits Increase for Veterans in Next Coronavirus Relief Package
• New Bill Would Offer Student Loan Relief for Essential Workers Including “Mortuary Services”
• Scientists Walk Back Comments on Transmission of COVID-19 from a Dead Body
• Funeral Service Foundation and NFDA Team up to Offer Free Resource for Families Grieving a Death During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Singing Your Praises
• NFDA Calls Up More Volunteers to Care for Pandemic Victims
• Funeral Directors Are Exempt Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• CDC Guidance on Death Certificates
• Urgent Warning on KN95 Masks
• funeralOne Offering Free, Reusable Face Shields
• NFDA Asks Congress to Include Last Responders in Stimulus Relief
• NFDA Calls Up First Volunteers For COVID-19 Funeral Home Relief Efforts
• CDC Recommends the Use of Cloth Face Masks
• NFDA Calls For Volunteers To Work In COVID-19 Hot Spots
• NFDA and the Funeral Service Foundation Announce Lead Contributions Totaling $250,000 to Foundation’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund
• Update: COVID-19 & Embalming – CDC Stands By its Recommendations
• Beware of Scammers - Information from the FTC
• Embalming & COVID-19
• NFDA Announces New Guidelines for Funerals During COVID-19 Pandemic
• Letter Verifying Critical Infrastructure Worker Status
• Funeral Service Foundation Launches COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund
• Availability of PPE Continues to be NFDA's Top Priority
• Five Ways You Can Communicate With Families About COVID-19 Today
• Funeral Service Asks President and Congress to Designate the Funeral Professionals as Critical Infrastructure Workers

Must-Have Documents

• Download COVID-19 Supply Vendor List
• Letter Verifying Critical Infrastructure Worker Status
• News Release Template for Your Funeral Home
• Best Practices Sign for the Public During a Funeral or Visitation

Essential Guidance

The CDC Coronavirus Guidance for Funeral Directors has been broken out into different sections for easier navigation. Please use the links below or the side menu on the left to navigate to the section you need to access. Information will be updated on these pages as soon as it is available.

• Download COVID-19 Supply Vendor List
• Communicating with the Public
• Transfers and Arrangements
• Technical Information
• Availability of PPE
• Cremation and Burial
• Visitations and Funerals
• Deaths Overseas and Ship Outs
• Funeral Professionals Who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding
• Funeral Home Owners
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Practical Guidance Webinars