South Africa
#Coronavirus: Only attend funerals if you have to - Mkhize─── 10:07 Sun, 19 Apr 2020
The Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize says people attending funerals are at risk of contracting the coronavirus (COVID-19) due to cultural behaviours and rituals observed at such funerals.
He says people don’t observe social distancing at funerals despite the messages encouraging them to do so to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Social distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic. Unfortunately, we have observed that people hug and hold each other at funerals (as part of giving comfort), they cry and cough next to each other, pass a spade to each other to pour the sand, they wash hands in one basin, and have a buffet meal where they use the same spoons to dish up.”
Mkhize has urged people attending funerals to refrain from such activities as there could be a person at the funeral who has COVID-19.
The Minister’s concerns come as the number of positive cases in South Africa continues to rise, with the number of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 now at 3 034.
The country has recorded 52 COVID-19 related deaths.
