Journalism of Courage
Care must be taken while honouring the dead amid the coronavirus pandemic, experts have said. This is because there remains little evidence on whether the virus can be transmitted from a deceased Covid-19 patient. In pic: Relatives attend the funeral of a Covid-19 patient at Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi on Friday.
In India, the government has released guidelines on how to honour the dead. There is a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed for health workers as well as relatives. In pic: The relatives of the deceased are dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) kits while performing the last rites.
Part of the SOP includes PPE kits, which consist of a water resistant apron, gloves, masks and eyewear. According to the guidelines, the body must be sealed in a leak-proof plastic bag which must be disinfected before burial. In pic: Health workers bury a person who succumbed to Covid-19 in Ahmedabad.
The guidelines allow only the face to be viewed by unzipping the bag, and do not permit bathing, kissing or hugging of the body. Family members are allowed to read religious lines and sprinkle holy water, as long as no one touches the body. In pic: A burial ground being sanitised in Ahmedabad.
In pic: Ashes of the deceased remain stored at the Lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi because of the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown. As reported by The Indian Express, over the past two months, five cremation/burial grounds in the capital have carried out 410 funerals as per the SOP for Covid patients, which is followed for confirmed as well as suspected cases.
Delhi has reported a mismatch in Covid death figures shared by the government and four hospitals. Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said the mismatch was because hospitals were not releasing death summaries of those who had died, on time.
A cremation ground priest arranges ashes from different people to keep in a locker for immersion in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Infection is a risk only for mortuary workers, doctors who do the autopsy and those who handle the body. If all precautions are followed, then both burial and cremation are considered safe. In pic: At ITO graveyard in New Delhi, one of the sites reserved for burials as per Covid SOP.
Large gatherings are to be avoided because family members are possible contacts. (Source: Twitter/@SangmaConrad)
SDO Mahipal Singh digs a hole at a crematorium in Bhilwara district. A sub-divisional officer posted in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district performed the last rites of a 4-month-old girl from Chawandia village after reluctance from her family members, who suspected the baby was infected with the coronavirus. After the officer carried the infant’s body, however, the suspicions of the family and other villagers were allayed and they too joined the officer in carrying out the last rites. (Express Photo)
