Writing to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer has urged the Sri Lankan government to allow the safe and dignified burial of COVID-19 victims.
“The common assumption that people who died of a communicable disease should be cremated to prevent spread is not supported by evidence. Instead, cremation is a matter of cultural choice and available resources. According to World Health Organization guidance, people who have died from COVID-19 can therefore be buried or cremated according to local standards and family preferences, with appropriate protocols for handling the body,” the United Nations said in its communique to the Sri Lankan PM.
The letter in full :
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