Bodies Of Those Who Died Of COVID-19 Will Be Cremated Irrespective Of Religion: BMC

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that bodies of all those who died due to COVID-19 in Mumbai will be cremated irrespective of the religion of the deceased. According to a circular issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, only five persons can attend the funeral of a COVID-19 patient and rituals of touching the body should be avoided.

“All bodies of COVID-19 patients should be cremated irrespective of religion. Burial will not be allowed. The funeral should not involve more than 5 people,” Pardeshi said. He said that if someone insists to bury the body, then it needs to be done out of Mumbai city. “If someone insists to bury the body, they will only be permitted if the body is taken out of Mumbai city's jurisdiction,” the BMC commissioner said.

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Maharashtra, known as the financial capital of India, is going to be the worst-hit among states in economic term due to the coronavirus -induced lockdown. Most of the manufacturing units have completely stopped their activities due to the lockdown, water resources minister Jayant Patil said on Monday.

Speaking a Marathi news channel, Patil said, Maharashtra, being the most industrialised state, is going to be the worst hit in this crisis. There are thousands of manufacturing units across the state, including large, medium and small ones. They employ millions of skilled and non- skilled workers."

The 21-day lockdown, implemented to facilitate social distancing and stem the spread of the coronavirus, is going to create an economic crisis in the state, said Patil, a former finance minister.

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"Coronavirus is an international crisis; thus we are part of it as well. Maharashtra is a highly industrialised state hence the closure of several industrial units is going to create a huge economic crisis for the state as well, Patil said.