The Maldives Government has offered to bury COVID-19 victims from Sri Lanka after serious concerns have been continuously raised by the Muslim community in the country, Daily Mirror Newspaper reported.
The Muslim community has charged that cremations of Muslim Covid victims is against their religious beliefs.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Maldives Government has made its offer through an official communiqué to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.
Deputy Director-general of Public Health Services Dr Hemantha Herath said the Foreign Ministry has informed the Health Ministry to develop guidelines and look into the feasibility of such a request in order to dispatch a reply soon.
Pointing out that the Maldives consists of a number of islands, Dr. Herath said the country does not face any issues similar to that of Sri Lanka pertaining to the burial of Covid victims.
The Maldivian Government has proposed to allocate one island for the burial of Covid victims and as a result, the Health Ministry will study the practicality of such a process, he said.
Dr. Hemantha Herath said a decision will be taken on the matter following the conclusion of a feasibility study on the matter.
According to the Daily Mirror, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa made a request from health experts last week to look for a land with low water levels within Sri Lanka to enable the burial of Covid victims.
Sri Lanka however, at present, follows the practice of cremating all claimed and unclaimed bodies of Covid victims. (NewsWire)