In Lithuania, nearly 200 people who had COVID-19 or were suspected of having the disease were cremated.

“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, the company that 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 self-isolation and may not be able to perform the ceremony at this time, others may 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 coffin, but not necessary

Jolanta Sprainaitienė, director of the Lithuanian Association for Ritual Services, says that in cases where the body of a deceased by 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 him, most of the companies that provide these services place the remains of the deceased in a coffin in a sealed airtight bag without covering them for funeral clothing.

“It is possible to prepare, but you have to have all the security measures. “Every company values ​​itself and assumes risks and responsibilities,” he said.

For his part, B. Vilkelis affirms 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 before armor or cremation must take extra precautions,” said Jolanta Mackevičienė, advisor to the SAM Department of Safety and Health.

He also emphasized 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 coffin, especially since in Lithuania there is still a tradition of saying goodbye to the deceased, when contact with the remains of the deceased 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 armor of the bodies or bodies of patients with COVID-19 who were suspected of having the disease before death.

Tighter funeral arrangements during quarantine

SAM recalls that no more than 10 people, excluding family members and individuals providing 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 use of nasal and oral protective equipment) should be posted 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 start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has infected 58,000 people in the country. 212 people, 43 thousand. 454 – still sick, 14 thousand. 56 – recovered.