Burial of COVID-19 dead not more hazardous than cremation, WHO busts myth

The burial of the mortal remains of the patients dying of COVID-19 is not more dangerous than cremation; rather both would be equally hazard-free if carried out in accordance with safety procedures, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The now-retracted move by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to ban burial of COVID-19 patients was in fact much ado about nothing, as neither the WHO nor the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of the Government of India advised against the burial of bodies of COVID-19 positive people.

The WHO and the MoHFW rather laid down specific guidelines that should be followed both for cremation as well as for burial of the corpses of the people infected by the virus.

“It is a common myth that persons who have died of a communicable disease should be cremated, but this is not true. Cremation is a matter of cultural choice and available resources,” the WHO stated. “To date,” it added, “there is no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who died from COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 has infected at least 1636 people across India. While 132 of them have been cured and discharged from hospitals, 38 have died so far. Over 7.50 lakh people around the world have been infected by the virus more than 36500 of them died.

The municipal commissioner of Mumbai, Praveen Pardeshi, on Monday, issued a circular stating that the bodies of all the deceased COVID-19 patients should be cremated and not buried, irrespective of the religious community the dead might belong to, in order to avoid chances of transmission of the virus in the community and that the burial would not be allowed.

However, the circular was withdrawn later.

“The main driver of transmission of COVID-19 is through droplets,” the MoHFW of the Government of India clarified, adding: “There is unlikely to be an increased risk of COVID infection from a dead body to health workers or family members who follow standard precautions while handling bodies.”

The WHO and the MoHFW noted that only the lungs of the dead COVID-19 patients if handled during an autopsy, could be infectious.

A MoHFW advisory underlined that anyone, who would handle the body of a COVID-19 patient at the hospital, mortuary or at the crematorium or the burial ground must practice hand hygiene and wash hands with soap and water after coming in physical contact with the corpse. The health care professionals at the hospitals should use Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) – water-resistant aprons, masks, gloves, and eyewear – while placing the body in a leak-proof plastic bag after decontaminating with 1% Hypochlorite. The religious rituals such as reading from religious scripts, sprinkling holy water, and any other last rites not requiring touching of the body could be allowed at the crematorium and the burial ground. But bathing, kissing, hugging and embalming of the body should not be allowed, the MoHFW stated.

“The dignity of the dead, their cultural and religious traditions, and their families should be respected and protected throughout,” the WHO underlined, advising against hasty disposal of the mortal remains of the victims of the pandemic.