Need for awareness drive to dispel fear of cremating COVID-19 victims: Experts

Experts here have called for spreading awareness among people to dispel their fear of catching infection during last rites of COVID-19 suspected or positive cases.

They urged the authorities to spread awareness in this regard after two incidents where people refused to cremate bodies of coronavirus victims were reported in the state.

Family members of a 69-year-old woman who died of COVID-19 in a private hospital in Ludhiana, had refused to accept her body and cremate it, forcing the district administration to perform her last rites.

In another such incident, residents of Verka village in Amritsar did not allow the cremation of Padma Shri awardee Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa.

The villagers had refused to allow the cremation of the Gurbani exponent fearing spread of the disease.

If all the government mandated protocols are followed while performing last rites for such bodies, there is no need to fear, the experts said.

D S Bhullar, president of Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology said there was no need to worry when transportation and cremation of a body of a COVID-19 suspected or confirmed case takes place in line with the protocols set by the government.

He said the body is packed in a double layered body bag which is disinfected with hypochlorite solution.

Besides, a team wearing PPE takes the body to the cremation ground in an ambulance, Bhullar added.

One should not worry as the cremation takes place while following all the guidelines. There is no chance of spread of virus, he said.

Professor of Department of Sociology, Panjab University, Rajesh Gill told PTI on Tuesday that, Humanity is tested when there is crisis and we need to wake up the sensitivity of people.

She said there was a need to launch an awareness drive to tell people that that they need to give respect to the bodies.

People need to be told what kind of precautions they need to take for cremation and how health authorities will cooperate with them and how they should go about it, she said.

The government should spread awareness through TV, radio and other media, she added.