Viral Video Of The Abandoned Body Of COVID-19 Abandoned On The Streets Of Jember, Here's The Clarification

ILLUSTRATION/PIXABAY

JEMBER - Circulating a video with information on the bodies of COVID-19 victims abandoned on the streets in Jember, East Java.

The 16-second video was recorded by a resident who was passing by Jalan Sultan Agung, Kaliwates. Mentioned in the video description, the body was abandoned because it was not taken care of.

"This is seeing no one picking up COVID bodies on the road. This is in Jember, this is real evidence of COVID," said the resident in the video.

Kapolsek Kaliwates Kompol Edi Sudarto denied the bodies were abandoned. According to him, the body was taken down because the wheel of the stretcher was jammed.

"The information in the video is not true. We together with Muspika have made a clarification. The body was brought down coincidentally when the wheel of the stretcher stuck, so it was lowered. There were officers and families there, so they were not abandoned," said Edi Sudarto when contacted, Tuesday, 27 July.

Meanwhile, the Head of Jember Kidul Public Health Center, Kaliwates District, dr. Rumi Enggarwati said the patient was initially referred to Kaliwates Hospital. The patient later died and was brought back to the funeral home with the COVID-19 protocol.

"So the body left from the Kaliwates Hospital, after being declared dead, we brought it back to the funeral home," said Rumi.

While on the way, the stretcher wheel jammed so that the body was unloaded.

"So it's not left on the side of the road or abandoned. Because there are also families there, who after the incident immediately took the bodies to the funeral home," said Rumi.