The Nigerian social media sphere has been charged with reactions to the burial of Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff of President Muhammadu Buhari who died from complications of COVID-19-the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Kyari died in Lagos on Friday, April 17, 2020, before his body was flown to Abuja where he was buried the following day.
As one of the most powerful men in the presidency, his death has been a trending topic on social media since it was announced. His funeral, however, has drawn the ire of Nigerians who believe that his funeral went against guidelines.
Families and COVID-19 corpses
As Nigerians picked holes with the burial, there was a misconception that families are not allowed to bury loved ones who died from COVID-19.
That school of thought was also fueled by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who said that families of the dead coronavirus victims would not be allowed to claim their remains for burial.
“Nigerians should not forget that this is not the type of corpses that can be claimed for burial because it must be handled by the Ministry of Health,” Mohammed was quoted as saying by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), however, states in its guideline that families can bury their loved ones who die of the disease caused by the coronavirus.
The NCDC says it does not have any evidence yet of infectious bodies of persons who died of COVID-19.
“Although burials should take place in a timely manner, in accordance with local practices, funeral ceremonies not involving the burial should be postponed, as much as possible, until the end of the pandemic,” the NCDC says.
While family members are allowed to bury their loved ones, the NCDC advises that only trained health workers are allowed to touch the corpse.
“Only burial team members that have been trained in IPC and safe burial practices should be allowed to handle dead bodies and conduct burials,” the NCDC says in their guideline.
“Family members, religious leaders, health care workers or mortuary staff preparing the body should wear appropriate PPE according to standard precautions (gloves, impermeable disposable gown [or disposable gown with impermeable apron, medical mask, eye protection).”
No social distancing
While Kyari's family members and friends were right to be allowed to bury him, they flouted some guidelines during the ceremony at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.
Large gatherings of more than 20 persons had been banned in Abuja to enforce social distancing to curb the spread of coronavirus. This ban was flouted during Kyari’s burial.
Social distancing was also not practiced at the burial.
“In the event a ceremony is held, the number of attendees should be limited. The ceremony should be held in a well-ventilated structure, attendees should be advised on social distancing throughout the event, ensuring practice of hand and respiratory hygiene," the NCDC says.
No face mask
The NCDC has now advised the use of masks in public places but several persons that attended that burial were without masks thereby leaving themselves and others who attended exposed.
As such, some top aides of President Buhari have been denied access back into the Presidential Villa in Abuja after returning from the burial according to a report by Sahara Reporters.
PPE
In line with NCDC guidelines, trained personnel were present at the burial and although they were the only ones allowed to touch the corpse, some people were seen too close for comfort without any protective wear.
A video of one of the workers who helped out in the funeral carelessly disposing of his protective wear and leaving it behind has also caused a stir on social media.
The Health And Human Services Secretariat of the FCT Administration has expressed concern about that video and revealed that they have destroyed the protective wear.
In line with NCDC's directive, the area was also disinfected after the burial as seen in a video on social media.
"Clean, decontaminate and disinfect the environment using NAFDAC approved bleach or other environmental decontaminants," the NCDC states.
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