Local Issues

Fifty-year-old mother of three, Fathima Shakeela died on December 14 while undergoing treatment at the Homagama Base Hospital. Shakeela has been receiving treatment for a kidney ailment for more than one and half years. Incidentally, she was tested positive for COVID-19 when she went to the National Hospital for her third dialysis, which was earlier fixed for November 31 but …

It is compulsory to arrive at a final decision with regard to the disposal of bodies of Muslim brethren who die of COVID-I9 without delay, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said.The Parliamentary Group of the TNA, at its meeting held today unanimously took this decision.“It appears that in the view of medical experts, burial of bodies would not result in …

The Director of the Al-Kimma organisation, M.S.M. Haroon said that they are ready to offer 10 acres of land in Majma Nagar in Oddamawadi along with the human resources and required vehicles to conduct the final rites of Muslims who die from or are suspected to have died due to COVID-19.Haroon added that groundwater is 30 feet below ground level …

The claim that the burial of dead bodies of COVID-19 victims could lead to the spread of coronavirus is nonscientific, says Professor Malik Peiris, a world renowned Pathologist and Virologist, currently serving as the Chair Professor of the Department of Virology at the University of Hong Kong. He is also one of the leading scientists who discovered the virus that …

The Maldives Government, last week sent an official communiqué to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, stepping in to bury COVID-19 victims following serious concerns raised by the Muslim community here over the mandatory cremation only policy in Sri Lanka.Dr Hemantha Herath, the Deputy Director-general of Public Health Services told Daily Mirror that following the communiqué received by the Foreign Ministry, …

The stigma associated with COVID-19 and the fear of being cremated is now forcing some sectors of the community to avoid PCR/antigen testing. This could lead to uncontrolled eruption of new clusters – Pic by Shehan GunasekaraIn the last few months, considerable scientific evidence has been published in international peer reviewed journals about the novel coronavirus and its environmental impact, enabling …