Action needed to cremate Covid-19 victims without delay

The heads of local government institutions are advised to take necessary steps to cremate the bodies of those who died of Covid-19 without delay, State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Roshan Ranasinghe said.

The State Minister instructed the secretary to ministry to inform all the heads of local government institutions about this.

At present there are 239 crematoria under the purview of the local authorities in which 106 are situated in the Western Province.

Due to the poor communication with the health and crematorium control departments, corpses are not brought properly from hospitals were the prime reason for the disruption in cremating the bodies.

Repairing the malfunctioning crematoria, providing generators during power outages, maintaining gas reserves, providing workers with protective clothing, equipment etc., are also considered as major issues.

State Minister Ranasinghe said he is hoping to discuss this matter with the Minister of Health.