A land extent of five acres has been allocated at Irakkamam in the Ampara District for the burial of Covid-19 victims, as the current Oddamavadi burial site in the Batticaloa District is almost at full capacity, officials at the Koralaipattu West Divisional Secretariat in the Batticaloa District told The Morning yesterday (11).
A total of 1,507 burials have occurred as of 10 August at the Oddamavadi burial site and there is only room for approximately 300 more burials, The Morning learnt.
The number of daily burials has tripled during the past two weeks due to the increasing number of deaths that are occurring as a result of the virus. A total of 31 burials have been done on 10 August at the Oddamavadi burial site.
It was on 5 March that the Government commenced the burial of Covid-19 victims in the Soodupaththinachenai area in Oddamavadi, and in the Irakkamam area in the Ampara District.
In February, the Government reversed its controversial policy which mandated the cremation of the bodies of all those who fell victim to Covid-19. This was following concerns raised by many parties, including the Parliamentary Opposition, the civil society and the international community, against the forced cremation of Muslim Covid-19 victims in the country. The Muslim community had pointed out that cremation was against their religious beliefs and that more than 190 countries allow both cremation and burial as per the World Health Organisation’s guidelines.
The Extraordinary Gazette notification allowing the burial of Covid-19 victims was published on 25 February, amending the regulations made by the Health Minister under Sections 2 and 3 of the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance (Chapter 222).
The Government initially announced that the Health Ministry’s technical committee had approved the Iranaitivu Island in the Gulf of Mannar as a burial ground. Stating that it was decided to permit the burial of the remains of Covid-19 victims on the Iranaitivu Island, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said that the health authorities would announce the guidelines to be followed in this regard. However, due to protests by area residents, the island was not used as a burial ground.
On 5 March, the Government approved the burial of Covid-19 victims in the Soodupaththinachenai area in Oddamavadi, Batticaloa, and the Irakkamam area in the Ampara District. The guidelines for the burial of Covid-19 victims were subsequently issued by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) on 3 March. The drafting of the guidelines was completed after the committee of experts appointed to examine methods for the disposal of Covid-19 victims met in February.