There are quite a few situations in which the family of the deceased has no means of contacting the burial company and taking care of removing the deceased, as he died on a holiday or on Shabbat. Therefore, these are the Halacha guidelines that one should go by:
- Lower the deceased to the floor and cooling the room in ways that are allowed on Shabbat / Hag (holidays)
- Make sure that there is always someone looking after the deceased. It is not allowed to leave the deceased alone.
- In a situation in which keeping the deceased at home may cause Pikuach Nefesh (in a physical or mental emergency), you may ask a gentile to take care of removing the deceased to the hospital until the funeral.
