No dignity in death: Piling bodies, no funeral for Covid-19 victims

Because even a dead person, is a potential carrier. They die alone, isolated from loved ones. Recent three cases show that coronavirus victims found no dignity even in death.

A coronavirus victim in New Delhi was refused a cremation. Authorities turned away the family members of the 68-year-old deceased. They said there were no guidelines. They were waiting for health ministry instructions.

How do you cremate a Covid-19 victim? Cremation ground officials were confused. The family, distraught. There was no time for grief. The logistics were more challenging.

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This happened on March 14, the deceased woman was the second coronavirus casualty in India. Her family had to wait for a few hours before they could perform the last rites.

Nearly 6000 kms away, In Italy, the family of another victim was battling similar distress.47-year-old Teresa Franzese had succumbed to the coronavirus.

But authorities at Naples did not come forward to collect her body.Teresa's brother had to appeal on social media to persuade authorities into helping him cremate his sister.

It was after a 36-hour-long wait that Teresa's body finally found a casket. But several other victims are being denied even the dignity of a coffin or a casket.

Let's take you to Iran, Where both — the death toll and the size of mass graves — are expanding. The mass cemetery of Qom can now be seen from space.

The burials here are not in accordance with the Islamic traditions. In Iran, corpses are traditionally washed with soap and water before burial.

But in Qom, the fear of the spreading coronavirus is preventing medical workers and the kin of the deceased from observing tradition..

The families of victims aren't just dealing with death but also this taboo and fear. Medically speaking, the fear isn't unfounded.

Experts say — the coronavirus continues to live in a patient much after he or she has died. This makes medical handlers and family members performing the last rites vulnerable to the virus.

That said, the victims cannot de denied the dignity of a burial. Nobody seems to have an answer right now.

The coronavirus has struck fear in the hearts of those who live and robbed those who die, of the basic dignity of death.