Fire and fear: Rapid cremations in the Philippines amidst COVID-19

This is a brief note on the issues that the people of Sri Lanka as well as the government of Sri Lanka have to face in regard to the disposal of bodies of COVID-19 victims. While the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines have with consistence provided for burial and cremation as alternate modes of disposing of the bodies of victims, the Sri Lankan authorities have not shown the same level of consistency, varying the policy and practice twice withing a short span of a week between 26th March 2020 and 1st April 2020. Decisions relating to the manner of disposing the bodies of victims of COVID-19 are extremely sensitive, and may have to be taken in the backdrop of many socio-economic and religio-cultural factors, in addition to the applicable pragmatic health safety considerations. In Sri Lanka, while the decision whether to cremate or bury the body of a deceased person who is found to be a victim of Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a decision that the next-of-kin is lawfully entitled to take, there may be many Constitutional and legal provisions that govern the decision. The paramount consideration in the context of the pandemic situation that prevails is the safety and protection of the people and the need to stop the spread of the virus. Hence while the religious sentiments of the people and religio-cultural practices are important, COVID-19 is a serious public health risk that may require the adoption of exceptional and extraordinary measures to bring into control the pandemic situation that has arisen in Sri Lanka and other parts of the world.

Human Remains and Violence

BMJ Global Health

BackgroundCatastrophic natural disasters and epidemics claim thousands of lives and have severe and lasting consequences, accompanied by human suffering. The Ebola epidemic of 2014–2016 and the current COVID-19 pandemic have revealed some of the practical and ethical complexities relating to the management of dead bodies. While frontline staff are tasked with saving lives, managing the bodies of those who die remains an under-resourced and overlooked issue, with numerous ethical and practical problems globally.MethodsThis scoping review of literature examines the management of dead bodies during epidemics and natural disasters. 82 articles were reviewed, of which only a small number were empirical studies focusing on ethical or sociocultural issues that emerge in the management of dead bodies.ResultsWe have identified a wide range of ethical and sociocultural challenges, such as ensuring dignity for the deceased while protecting the living, honouring the cultural and religious ritua...

Journal of Health and Translational Medicine, 2020

The pandemic outbreak caused by COVID-19 has been spreading throughout the world including Indonesia. The high number of infection cases and deaths due to Covid-19 and the lack of experience in managing corpses (post mortem) caused by COVID-19 disease creates defiance for forensic practitioners and the general public. Indonesia has extra challenges because there are still people who refuse to bury corpses known to be COVID-19 victims in their areas. This paper reviews and summarizes the experience of how to deal with a corpse case with COVID-19 including how to bury such a corpse hence providing a perspective view for the future.

Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 125,

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020

The Muslim and Christian minority communities in Sri Lanka, as a matter of religious ruling and practice, bury their dead. Having initially permitted cremation or burial, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health issued fresh Regulations purportedly under section 2 and 3 of the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance No: 3 of 1987 making it mandatory to cremate bodies of COVID-19 victims irrespective of their faith. This caused great anguish and distress to Sri Lankan Muslims whose scientific and legal fraternity prepared a comprehensive memorandum containing their response to the environmental and public health concerns with regard to burial of COVID–19 victims. On the basis of scientific studies, WHO guidelines and practices of other nations responding to COVID-19, the memorandum argues that the burial of COVID–19 victims does not pose any serious environmental and/or public health risks. The memorandum was submitted to the to the relevant Health and other authorities on April 13, 2020 to enable the said authorities to reexamine the issue and make an appropriate recommendation or in the alternative to instruct the Minister of Health to amend the Regulations currently in force in line with the WHO Guidance to permit to all the option of burial of bodies of COVID-19 victims.

SSRN, 2020

The Muslim and Christian minority communities in Sri Lanka, as a matter of religious ruling and practice, bury their dead. Having initially permitted cremation or burial, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health issued fresh Regulations purportedly under section 2 and 3 of the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance No: 3 of 1987 making it mandatory to cremate bodies of COVID-19 victims irrespective of their faith. This caused great anguish and distress to Sri Lankan Muslims whose scientific and legal fraternity prepared a comprehensive memorandum containing their response to the environmental and public health concerns with regard to burial of COVID–19 victims. On the basis of scientific studies, WHO guidelines and practices of other nations responding to COVID-19, the memorandum argues that the burial of COVID–19 victims does not pose any serious environmental and/or public health risks. The memorandum was submitted to the to the relevant Health and other authorities on April 13, 2020 to enable the said authorities to reexamine the issue and make an appropriate recommendation or in the alternative to instruct the Minister of Health to amend the Regulations currently in force in line with the WHO Guidance to permit to all the option of burial of bodies of COVID-19 victims.

2020

This brief sets out key considerations for events related to death, burial, funerals (rites, ceremonies and practices) and mourning in the context of the global outbreak of the COVID-19. Further participatory inquiry should be undertaken, but given ongoing transmission, conveying key considerations for adapted end-of-life, mortuary, burial and funeral practices and related community engagement have been prioritised. The brief aims to provide practical considerations for partners working in the COVID-19 response. It is based on a rapid review of existing published and grey literature including insight and learning from other epidemics and infectious disease outbreaks. It should be read in conjunction with related SSHAP briefs on quarantine, physical distancing, and information in the online media.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

The cultural imperative to bury one's dead is rooted in thousands of years of civilization. The description, in the Iliad, of King Priam infiltrating the Greek camp at night, to beg Achilles to return his son Hector's body for burial is still considered one of the most powerful scenes in western literature. 1 *