No need for mass burial sites yet, says funerals’ body

As the spread of the coronavirus intensifies due to the second wave of infections, there is no need to secure mass gravesites in the hotspot regions.

That is according to the South African Funeral Practitioners Association (SAFPA).

South Africa’s death toll breached the 30,000 mark on Monday, with the Department of Health confirming 434 fatalities had brought the number to a total of 30,011 since the start of the pandemic. Relative to the 1,113,000 recorded cases, 911,000 people had recovered.

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A video of gravediggers in Durban preparing several graves for Covid-related deaths emerged on Sunday.

In the background, a number of fresh graves believed to be those of Covid-19 victims can be seen.

However, the SAFPA said there was no need for mass burial sites.

“Currently there is no strain in the funeral parlour industry because the rate of death is relatively low compared to the rate of infections,” said Vuyo Mabinda of SAFPA.

Mabinda said the industry was well capacitated to deal with a high number of deaths should the need arise.