West Bengal govt clears people’s doubts over cremation of COVID-19 victims

Kolkata, Apr 5 (PTI) After facing stiff protest over the cremation of COVID-19 victims, the West Bengal government seems to have convinced people that there is no health risk involved and adequate precautionary measures are taken during the process.

The state health department issued an advisory to ensure hassle-free cremation of those who died of the disease after persuading people that ashes from the burning of such bodies do not automatically put residents of the nearby surroundings at risk, a senior official said on Sunday.

Apart from sensitizing the masses, especially those residing near cremation grounds earmarked for burning mortal remains of COVID-19 victims, the health department along with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) have taken up measures like educating people through mikes that they should not fall prey to rumours.

The intervention seems to have paid off.

“Earlier, we have seen huge problems in burning dead bodies of coronavirus infected patients. People used to think that the smoke released during the burning of bodies spread the virus... we made them understand that it is a wrong belief... it was quite a tough job,” the official said.

Civic bodies in the districts have also started awareness programmes like miking and distributing leaflets containing details about why there is no harm in burning dead bodies of coronavirus patients at the crematorium ground.

The state health department in its advisory underlined that no risk was involved in the process if standard directives were followed.

It said COVID-19 spreads through droplets coughed or sneezed out, and that there were no chances of airborne transmission.

“We have told them that the temperature generated during cremation is 800 to 1,000 degrees Celsius, under which, the virus can no longer remain viable. People seem to have understood the reality,” the official said.

We take all standard precautions so there is absolutely no risk of infection from a body to healthcare workers, family members, or people in the locality, he added.

The advisory also quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to underline that no such case has come to the fore where a person is known to have contracted the disease following his exposure to bodies of COVID-19 victims.

Hence, it is clarified that if the protocol prescribed for transportation and disposal of dead bodies of COVID-19 positive persons is followed, there is no risk of any virus infection, the advisory stressed.

On March 23, locals in the Nimtala area of the city had staged a demonstration to stop government officials from cremating the body of a COVID-19 victim.

Senior officers took over two hours to convince the residents that adequate measures have been taken to avoid contamination.

Residents staged similar protest in Dhapa locality subsequently against burning the body of another coronavirus deceased in a crematorium in their place.

The KMC has reserved a two-furnace crematorium at Dhapa, Topsia and a burial ground at Baghmari for coronavirus cases.

West Bengal has reported a total of 68 coronavirus cases so far out of which three people lost their lives.