The Ministry of Health has cautioned health workers against covering up Coronavirus deaths in a bid to aid relatives facilitate normal burials of their kin.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe stressed that normal burials on Covid-19 related deaths exposes several people to the virus, and has since requested Kenyans to forego traditional practices that involve crowds.
“Please do not cover up Covid-19 deaths. You are making life difficult for everyone and also complicating the government’s efforts of winning this war,” Kagwe said.
Since the advent of the virus in March 23, the government has instituted measures to ban mass gatherings. Among the gatherings prohibited were funerals, which since time immemorial have attracted thousands.
Some of the Ministry of Health protocols dictated that a body of a person who succumbs to Covid-19 should be buried within 48 hours. This has since been the norm among burials during the pandemic.
The ban has not been welcomed among Kenyans who have lost their loved ones, who have accused the government of trampling on their traditions.
As the number of Covid-19 deaths continues to rise in the country, with 423 deaths so far, Kenyans are calling on the government to come up with guidelines that will ensure that the dead are given their last respects.
