Delhi govt likely to hold meet to work out guidelines on handling bodies

The last rites of a 68-year-old woman were performed on Saturday at the CNG crematorium at Nigambodh Ghat here under the supervision of medical authorities

The Delhi government and municipal authorities are likely to hold a meeting on Tuesday to work out finer guidelines on handling of bodies of coronavirus patients, a senior official said on Monday.

So far, Delhi has seen seven positive cases, including a patient who died. Of these cases, two persons who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to hospitals were discharged following treatment, the Delhi Health Department said in a statement.

"The broad guidelines are already there for it. A meeting is expected on Tuesday, where representatives from the three corporations and the Delhi government will take part, and we will try to arrive at a consensus for finer guidelines," the official said.

The last rites of a 68-year-old woman, who died in the national capital after being infected with the coronavirus, were performed on Saturday at the CNG crematorium at Nigambodh Ghat here under the supervision of medical authorities.

Doctors from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital and civic bodies oversaw the funeral after the crematorium staff reached out to the authorities, seeking directives on ensuring that the infection did not spread from the body.

Officials on Saturday said the Nigambodh Ghat Sanchalan Samiti, which managed the operations at the crematorium, delayed the last rites by a few hours and approached municipal authorities to seek directives in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

"The situation is sensitive across the world. We had to seek instructions first from the MCD and medical authorities. They said the cremation will be done using CNG and the officials came to supervise the process," Suman Gupta of the Samiti said.