The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says that the bodies of persons, who died of coronavirus, were not infectious, while assuring the public that
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says that the bodies of persons, who died of coronavirus, were not infectious, while assuring the public that the task force would continue to follow guidelines concerning the handling of COVID-19 corpses.
Members of the task force, who attended the crowded burial, have been heavily criticised for disregarding the NCDC protocols for burial of corpses of people that die of COVID-19. Dignitaries at the burial included Mustapha, Aliyu; Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
Kyari, who had been undergoing treatment at the First Cardiology Consultants Hospital, Lagos died of COVID-19 on Friday and was buried at Gudu cemetery, Abuja on Saturday.
The National Coordinator of the task force, Dr Sani Aliyu, at a media briefing of the PTF in Abuja said, “I would like to further clarify the issue of COVID-19 and burial processes. Contrary to what is on social media, the late chief of staff’s body was properly prepared for burial, according to the NCDC guidelines and the Islamic faith.
“The bodies of persons with COVID-19, as stated by the WHO guidelines and I quote, ‘Except in cases of viral haemorrhagic fever and cholera, dead bodies are generally not infectious.’
“To date, there is no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who have died of COVID-19.’”
Aliyu also apologised, saying, “As stated by the chair of the PTF, we would like to acknowledge and apologise for the mistakes that were made regarding the burial of the late chief of staff. We realise that crowd control failed. We have learnt from this and we will ensure future events are adequately regulated and follow the task force protocols.”
The NCDC, in its interim guidelines for the safe management of a dead body, states, “In the event, a ceremony is held, the number of attendees should be limited. The ceremony should be held in a well-ventilated structure, attendees should be advised on social distancing throughout the event, ensuring practice of hand and respiratory hygiene.”
Although most attendees at Kyari’s burial wore face masks, they stood less than two metres apart as prescribed by the NCDC protocols. Following the attendees’ disregard for social distancing rules, the Presidency on Sunday ordered them to stay away from the Presidential Villa for 14 days
