VICTIMS CAN BE BURIED/CREMATED PER FAMILY'S WISH

VICTIMS CAN BE BURIED OR CREMATED AS PER FAMILY'S WISH

by Staff Writer 31-12-2020 | 6:34 PM

Colombo (News 1st); College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka has said that each citizen should be allowed to be cremated or buried as per his/her and the family’s desire within the strict guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health.

Issuing their Position Paper on the debate about compulsory cremation of victims of COVID-19, the CCPSL said there is no solid evidence indicating that the burial of dead bodies would increase the spread of the disease.

The report added that with more than 85,000 published scientific literature on COVID-19, not a single case has been reported due to a virus transmitted through a dead body.

The release added that "WHO, CDC and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control had issued clear and extensive guidelines on handling dead bodies confirmed or suspected as having COVID-19 with detailed attention to the procedures in relation to handling the body in the ward, mortuary, funeral home, during transfer, and crematorium /burial site.

At the same time, these guidelines strongly discourage any ritual practice which may involve in the risk of disease transmission.

Nevertheless, all these global pandemic control programmes clearly stipulate that the victims can be "buried or cremated" with all precautions mentioned earlier, it added.