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Burial issue: Health Minister will decide
View(s):A decision on COVID-19 victims being buried will be made by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniaarachchi.
“She is still undergoing treatment for COVID-19 infection,” Dr Sudharshani Fernandopulle, State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, told the Sunday Times yesterday.
Earlier this week Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament that burials of those who died of COVID-19 would be allowed, but he did not give a time frame.
Dr Fernandopulle said it was the Health Minister who initially issued a gazette notification banning the burial of those who died of COVID19 and she would have to give the necessary directives on lifting the ban.
“The Director General of Health Services is not empowered to issue a fresh gazette notification and, therefore, the previous system where only cremations are allowed will continue”, she said
She said the Health Minister would have to give the directives to the committee which looked into the scientific aspects on issues whether burial should be allowed.
Dr Fernandopulle earlier told Parliament that the committee which looked into the issue ruled that burial was not possible for those who died of COVID-19.
The burial issue figured in Parliament this week after Samagi Jana Balawegaya Parliamentarian S.M. Marikkar raised it.