Govt. begins burial of COVID-19 dead

Nine COVID-19 burials took place yesterday in Oddamavadi, Batticaloa, which has been selected as a COVID-19 burial site.

Oddamavadi is located approximately 300 km away from Colombo and is the first site where COVID-19 burials have been permitted in the country. The decision comes after outrage from local and international communities and organisations for close to a year over the mandatory cremation of COVID-19 despite World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations including both burials and cremation for COVID-19 deaths.

Local Government activist and former MP for the Batticaloa District Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana yesterday posted several tweets on the first COVID-19 burials taking place in Oddamavadi, as he was present at the site.

“After 333 long days, nine COVID deceased were buried today in accordance to the faith of those deceased. There are around 20 more bodies which were held in cold storage which will be brought to Oddamavadi over the next few days,” he tweeted.

According to him, Oddamavadi in the Batticaloa District and Irikamam in the Ampara District have been selected for COVID-19 burials with the consultation of the Ministry of Health, Geology Institute, local stakeholders, community representatives and local authorities.

“Collectively, over the course of the last few days, all stakeholders worked together with us and expressed their willingness to vest the selected sites for burial, Moulana tweeted, adding that the Regional Director of Health Services of Batticaloa and Ampara forwarded their recommendations of the two sites to the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health for his approval.

He described the sites as “dry, inhabited areas” that pose no risk of groundwater contamination. Initially, the island of Iranaitheevu was selected for COVID-19 burials but residents protested against the decision.