Berita 24 English - Malaysian volunteers who assist in providing Muslim burials for virus victims say they are stretched to breaking point ...
Berita 24 English - Malaysian volunteers who assist in providing Muslim burials for virus victims say they are stretched to breaking point as the Southeast Asian country struggles to contain its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began.
The Malaysian Funeral Management Squad, which is fully equipped with protective gear, is frequently called in by hospitals to assist families in safely paying their final respects.
Muhammad Rafieudin Zainal Rasid, a religious leader who leads the volunteer team on a national scale, has earned the moniker "cleric undertaker." He stated that volunteers are currently dealing with nearly 30 times the number of bodies they dealt with last year.
Although the volunteer team has grown to over 2,000 members, Muhammad Rafieudin admitted that they are struggling to keep up.
"Previously, we handled about one to three cases per month, but now we handle up to two to three cases per day," he said, referring to a single team in the Kuala Lumpur district where he is based.
Volunteers travel from the hospital to the morgue to prepare bodies for burial and perform Muslim prayers at the cemetery, occasionally accompanied by family members who are also outfitted in full protective gear.
However, as the virus's death toll rises in the Muslim-majority country, it is sometimes difficult to bury the body within 24 hours, as is customary in Islam.
"If there are more than ten cases at the same cemetery today, it may take two to three (days) to complete the investigation," he said.
Malaysia reported 7,857 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, marking the third consecutive day of record infections and 59 deaths.
While its overall caseload is significantly lower than some neighbours, its infection rate is the highest in Southeast Asia, at more than 16,000 infections per million.
"We are concerned that the risk will be increased for all of us who are exposed as a result of our work with the bodies," Muhammad Rafieudin said.
