Africa-Press – Lesotho. With the ongoing spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), many countries have devised strategies and unfamiliar responses to keep this deadly virus at bay.
The funeral parlor industry has for long and continues to serve individuals and families during the final stages of a person’s life. The industry, as Coronavirus continues to claim lives, is needed.
Informative
Newspaper approached one player in the funeral parlor industry, Lesotho Funeral Services Director Kutloano Sello to get sense of how the Covid-19 health regulations and protocols have affected this business.
He said they have secured enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), having already capacitated their morgue attendants on handling of Covid-19 corpses.
The Lesotho Funeral Services Director also noted that morticians have been capacitated in Coronavirus related training, conducted by the then National Emergency Command Center(NECC), now National Covid-19
Secretariat (NACOSEC). He further highlighted the need for an audience as per NACOSEC and government to discuss regulations and modalities going forward.
He made an anecdote of the provision of land to be allocated for cemeteries should the mortality rate increase on account of the pandemic. About the looming cultural change concerning
how Basotho have been conducting funerals and handling the corpse, he challenged the nation to look into cremation instead. He pointed out also that with time people might wish to
abandon the practice of mass catering at funerals. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister (PM) Dr. Majoro in his recent nation address on Covid-19 status, warned the members of the
public to consider adjusting certain norms. He insists that funerals should be attended by family members and a maximum of 10 men for hard labor. This is also in line with the guidelines to
avert the spread of the virus as per the May 27 statement of Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) about funeral attendance “…modified funeral
arrangements such as limiting attendance at funerals held shortly after the time of death to a small number of immediate family members…. ” The center further warns against long observed
funeral rites and rituals such as touching the deceased’s body and other ceremonial objects. Sello said by nature of their business they are “super spreaders.
” He however quipped that their conduct when it comes to
handling the corpse is informed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and NACOSEC guidelines and prevention protocols. When asked how the pandemic era has impacted
their normal operations he said “we treat every corps as a Covid-19 suspect. ” He said other factors such as reviewing fee rates will be considered once the pandemic resultant death toll numbers swell at
proportional levels. However he said his funeral parlor is worried at the increasing rate at which they collect corpses from South Africa (SA). Despite not reaching a high death toll,
Lesotho has recorded 12 deaths as of Sunday July 26, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) published Covid-19 results. In a recent televised speech Dr.
Majoro said his led administration aspires for a low reproduction rate of Coronavirus infections. The PM further insisted that there are some norms that need to be abandoned as a result of the virus, which continues to necessitate
that people adapt to new ways of living and interactions so as to minimize the spread. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr.
Tedros Ghebreyesus said “…all countries are at risk of the virus [Coronavirus]…” He further went on to advise that “we need strong government leadership and coordination of comprehensive strategies that are communicated clearly and consistently.”
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