OPEN-air cremations for Covid-19 victims is prohibited in order to keep people safe and not to target any religious group.
This was the statement made by Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh during the Ministry of Health’s virtual health conference on Wednesday.
He said, “The reason for the protocols is to keep people safe, not to target any person, not to target any religious groups.”
Deyalsingh was responding to a question on whether he would reconsider open-air cremations for members of the Hindu community who have passed away due to the coronavirus.
Opposition Member of Parliament Dinesh Rambally had said that indoor cremations were more expensive than open-air ones and this took a toll on families who may have multi-deaths due to Covid-19.
Deyalsingh said, “Open-air cremations seem to pose a risk and it’s not something we are currently looking at to roll back on at this current time on today.”
The regulations were made by the Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram with all the current known scientific data which he signs off on, but open-air cremations still posed a risk to the public’s safety, he said.
Deyalsingh said, “The Chief Medical Officer and his team will continue to monitor international developments, the international science and evidence to keep persons as safe as humanly possible.”
See related story below:
