Residents Of Fifty Cities Of West Sumatra Are Desperate To Open Coffins And Wash The Bodies Of COVID-19 Patients

PADANG - Residents of Nagari Taeh Baruah, Limapuluh Kota Regency, West Sumatra (West Sumatra) are desperate to open the coffin of a COVID-19 patient who was taken from the hospital. The family even bathed the body in the house.

"When they opened it at home, they did not wear the PPE we prepared, after that they were washed as usual," Deputy Regent of Fifty Cities, Ferizal Ridwan, told reporters, Tuesday, August 25.

The incident occurred Monday (24/8) night. When the incident happened, many residents gathered to see the body firsthand.

Ferizal said that the patient was known to have died in the afternoon at the Achmad Mukhtar Hospital in Bukittinggi. The family initially agreed to hold a funeral process with the COVID-19 protocol.

"Based on the agreement with the family, it was carried out with the COVID-19 protocol, after that it was brought back to my hometown. Actually there is an agreement on the funeral with the COVID-19 protocol," he said.

After the bodies arrived at their hometowns, residents urged that the funeral be held without the COVID-19 protocol. Although Ferizal tried to have a dialogue with the residents, the residents' wishes could not be restrained.

"I was there during the discussion, the body arrived. After that I could no longer discuss it, the people urged to see and organize it normally, they opened it," he said.

"Now we are thinking about the second alternative, how the task force team can carry out tracing the people who are present for a mass swab," he added.