WHO covid19 guidelines forburials notbeing followed

THE EDITOR: In two recent instances – one in Trinidad and the other in Tobago – the bodies of covid19 victims appeared to have been disposed of with indecent haste.

In the case of the Tobago victim, the family was reported to have claimed they had no say in the arrangements, in that their loved one was buried hours after his death on Palm Sunday. They were not even given a chance to see him.

The Chief Medical Officer was heard to say that World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines are being followed with covid19 deaths.

I have read the WHO guidelines and the local practice does not appear to be in keeping with them. The guidelines state specifically that:

* The dignity of the dead, their cultural and religious traditions, and their families should be respected and protected throughout.

* Hasty disposal of a dead from covid19 should be avoided.

* Authorities should manage each situation on a case-by-case basis, balancing the rights of the family, the need to investigate the cause of death, and the risks of exposure to infection.

Additionally, WHO notes that “to date there is no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who died from covid19.”

It warns, however, against the bodies being “touched” or “kissed.” Family and friends, the guidelines state, may view the bodies after they have been prepared for burial, in accordance with customs.

While it would seem that disposal should not be delayed unnecessarily, the above appears to give the lie to the actions of the authorities here, especially in the case in Tobago, that they have to dispose of such bodies in a matter of hours without proper consultation with the families of the deceased, going as far as to usurp the families’ rights to even see the faces of their loved ones at the funeral homes.

More disturbing was the Tobago authorities choosing, apparently, their own pastor to conduct the grave site service without the family’s knowledge and/or approval.

CLYDE ALPHONSO

via e-mail