OK to bury virus victims, locals told

Authorities assure villagers after many protest burying bodies at cemeteries near homes

Authorities across some regions are trying hard to assure the public that the burial of Covid19 victims is not something to be wary of, as reports emerged that some locals have rejected the idea of having bodies of deceased persons infected by virus buried in cemeteries near their homes.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said he was “deeply saddened by the reports”, emphasising that all burials of those with or suspected to have contracted Covid-19 in the country had followed the safety standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“I don’t want such a thing to happen again. Let’s respect the feelings of the family members of the deceased,” he said on Wednesday.

“They are already in so much grief as they were not able to see the faces of the deceased one last time.

“So, please don’t hurt them (the family members) more.

“Let’s support them together.” On Tuesday, the body of a Covid19 patient that had been buried in Tumiyeng village in the province’s Banyumas regency was dug up to be removed to another cemetery following protests.

Four villages previously rejected the idea of having the body buried in a local cemetery, as they were reportedly concerned about possible coronavirus transmission.

Banyumas Regent Achmad Husein even went as far as to help in the digging to show residents that as long as the corpse had been handled properly, the body of a Covid19 patient was not dangerous.

“In the near future, we’ll educate residents so they understand that the virus dies underground and it won’t spread everywhere and infect people,” Husein said as quoted by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

Similar tensions have been reported in Depok and Tasikmlaya in West Java, Bandar Lampung in Lampung and Gowa regency in South Sulawesi.

Ganjar said he himself had asked experts about the protocol for handling the bodies.

The safety protocols include that hospital authorities treating the patient spray disinfectant on the corpse, wash the body, cover it in plastic and put it inside a coffin for burial.

“If the bodies are handled according to the guidelines ... they will not spread the disease. It’s safe, the virus will be dead, too,” Ganjar said.

“The most important thing is that residents should not attend the funeral.”

Following the protests, the Banyumas administration prepared three plots of land as a cemetery specifically designated for Covid-19 patients and suspects.

South Sulawesi also took similar action after locals rejected the idea of burying three Covid-19 suspects in the provincial capital of Makassar on Sunday and Tuesday.

Husni Thamrin, the public health department head of the South Sulawesi Health Agency, said his side would continue to educate people so they understood that all Covid-19 patients and suspects were buried in accordance with WHO guidelines. — The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

If the bodies are handled according to the guidelines ... they will not spread the disease. It’s safe, the virus will be dead, too.

Ganjar Pranowo