Mumbai civic body issues guidelines for performing last rites of COVID-19 patients

Representative image | Source: AP

With the outbreak of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Maharashtra’s capital Mumbai once again emerged as one of the worst-hit cities. Not only has Mumbai seen a sharp rise in the number of fresh COVID-19 cases being reported daily, but deaths due to COVID-19 complications have also increased.

In view of the city’s rising COVID-19 death toll, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued guidelines that ought to be followed at funerals of coronavirus patients in Mumbai.

The Mumbai civic body has put a cap on the number of attendees at funerals. Now, only 20 people will be allowed at a funeral and set protocols must be followed during cremation of bodies, reported India Today.

If a coronavirus patient dies while being treated at a government facility, then the corpse will be put inside a body bag and sent to the mortuary, where it will be sealed further with due precaution.

The COVID-19 patient’s body would be handed over to the family thereafter for the last rites to be performed.

Speaking about the procedure, Dr Neelam Andrade, who is associated with the NESCO Covid Care Centre, said: “When the family comes, two members are given PPE kits to wear and then they go in and identify the dead person, take pictures if they want for their confirmation. Then the body bags are resealed."

Mumbai Police is also informed every time the body of a deceased coronavirus patient is sent to a cemetery.

In case a COVID-19 patient dies at home, the family must dial the ward control room as the corpse will have to be wrapped and sealed following protocols before it can be cremated.

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