Minister Of Home Affairs Call Covid-19 Bodies Better Burned, Expert: Not Essential

Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian (Photo: Public Relations of the Ministry of Home Affairs)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian stated that the best treatment for the bodies of COVID-19 patients is by burning them. Epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman considers the burning of bodies infected with the virus is not important.

Because, the most important thing is to take care of the body in accordance with applicable regulations to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

"Burning is not essential. Because what determines whether it is safe or not is how the body is treated," said Dicky in a written statement, Friday, July 24.

According to him, when the burning was carried out but the process was not in accordance with strict health procedures such as disinfection of the corpse and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for corpse officials, the potential for COVID-19 transmission would still occur.

In addition, in theory, the virus in the corpse will live for about 3-4 days or until the body fluids disappear. However, he ensured, when the bodies were buried according to the applicable standard operating procedures (SOP), the virus would not contaminate groundwater and cause infection.

Moreover, he said, so far there had never been any research that found that contamination of a body to the water or soil around the cemetery would cause infection.

"So the most important or the most vulnerable phase is during the transport process and the treatment of the remains," said Dicky.

"Once again, burning (corpses, ed) is not essential or not needed and besides that the problem of burning corpses is not an easy thing in the cultural and religious perspective of most Indonesians," he added.

Previously reported, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian considered that the best way to handle the bodies of COVID-19 patients is to burn them instead of burying them.

"Best of all, I'm sorry, I am a Muslim but in theory burnt because the virus will also die," the former National Police Chief said in a webinar, Friday, July 24.

This statement was then straightened out by the Head of the Ministry of Home Affairs Information Center (Kapuspen), Bahtiar. He said, the burning of the bodies of COVID-19 patients was intended to kill the virus in the body.

"What the Minister (Home Affairs, ed) said, in theory, the body of Covid should be burned so that the virus also dies," he said.

"But for those of us who are Muslims and some other religions, this is not in accordance with the faith, so the management is wrapped without gaps so that the virus does not come out and then is buried," he added.