[ad_1]
“This year 184 remains have been cremated. Before death, these people had coronavirus or were suspected of having the disease, but no covid test was performed, ”said Bernardas Vilkelis, director of K2 LT, which operates the Lithuanian Crematorium and the Rekviem ritual services center.
He also notes that the introduction of quarantine for the second time in the country has increased the flow of people requesting the cremation of nearby bodies.
And not just in terms of cremating the bodies of people with coronavirus. (…) Some people may be in isolation and may not be able to perform the ceremony at this time, others want to perform the ceremony with more participants. Therefore, it is cremated and expected, for example, in spring. There are several reasons, ”said B. Vilkelis.
“Sometimes there is no such increase, but the percentage is an increase of tens of percent,” he added.
Armor: in a closed casket, but not necessary
Jolanta Sprainaitienė, director of the Lithuanian Association for Ritual Services, says that in cases where the body of a corpse from coronavirus is not cremated, funeral companies follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and assemble the remains in a closed casket.
In addition, according to her, most of the companies that provide these services place the remains of the deceased in a coffin in a sealed waterproof bag without covering them with clothing for burial.
“It is possible to prepare, but you have to have all the security measures. “Every company evaluates and assumes risks and responsibilities,” he said.
For his part, Vilkelis says that some companies that provide funeral services simply refuse to arm the coronavirus.
“I heard about it.” … Because there is an alternative, it offers cremation and armor to protect yourself and your loved ones, “he said.
The Department of Health (SAM) states that “precautions such as burial in bags are potentially redundant.”
“Specialists who treat the body of the deceased prior to shielding or cremation must take extra precautions,” said Jolanta Mackevičienė, advisor to the SAM Department of Health Security.
He also stressed that although the ministry recommends that the body of the coronavir be shielded in a closed coffin, it is not mandatory.
“According to the recommendations of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, deaths from COVID-19 can be buried and cremated normally. This means that the coffin can also be opened. However, as a precaution, we recommend that it be close the casket, especially since in Lithuania there is still a tradition of saying goodbye to the deceased, when contact with the deceased’s remains is not avoided. This can pose minimal risk, “said J.Mackevičienė.
Among other things, the Ministry emphasizes that such a recommendation applies only to the body armor or bodies of COVID-19 patients who were suspected of having the disease before death.
False hopes that the funeral won’t cost
B. Vilkelis says that the funeral of the deceased in Lithuania usually costs from a thousand. up to 1.5 thousand. but the exact price depends on the region and the services requested.
In turn, J.Sprainaitienė affirms that the price fluctuates between 1.3 thousand. and 2 thousand. euros. However, according to her, funerals are more modest and cheaper during a pandemic.
“The funerals are more modest, (…) due to the limitation of the number of people, there are no more hymns, no mourning dinners are organized, and there are no more luxurious funerals,” he said.
Ritual service providers say that prices for services when arranging the discharge of a coronavirus patient are almost no different than usual.
However, he points out that the families of those people often hope that the funeral will cost them nothing.
“The strange thing is that many people think that if they died of a coronavirus or had that infection, then the funeral has to be paid for by the state or someone. This is definitely not the case, ”said the director of the Lithuanian Association for Ritual Services.
Tighter funeral arrangements during quarantine
SAM remembers that no more than 10 people, excluding family members and people who provide ritual services, can attend funerals during quarantine.
People over the age of six should also wear nose and mouth protection.
In addition, a hand sanitizer, information on the need for personal hygiene (hand hygiene, cough, sneeze tag, mandatory nasal and oral protective equipment) should be hung at the entrance or exit of the armory.
A total of 482 people died from coronavirus in Lithuania and 220 from other causes.
According to data from the Statistics Department on Saturday, the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 was recorded in Vilnius and Kaunas: 53 cases each.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 58,812 people have been infected with COVID-19, 43,454 are still ill, and 14,056 have recovered.
[ad_2]
