By Gbadamosi Olademeji
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed to Lagosians who have corpses in the mortuary to proceed and perform funeral rites as long as it doesn’t contravene the ongoing lockdown rules.
According to him, one of the outcomes of the stay-at-home order is that many families and households have had to postpone funeral plans for loved ones who have passed away before or during this period.
“As you might know, many Christian denominations do not carry out funerals during the Lenten season. Funerals are typically kept on hold during this period, and scheduled for the period immediately following the end of lent”, he said.
“I am now constrained to make this appeal to all Lagosians who have the corpses of loved ones in the mortuaries to please go ahead and schedule the funerals.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that funerals are on the list of activities exempted from the lockdown restrictions.
“Unfortunately, this year, the Covid-19 Lockdown coincided with the end of Lent, which caused many families and households to further suspend or put off funeral plans.
“Because of this inability to hold funerals, occasioned by the restrictions of movement, the mortuaries in Lagos State are now full and in urgent need of decongestion.
“Let me make it clear at this point that these are not Covid-19 deaths” he said.
Sanwo-Olu re-emphasized that the mortuaries in Lagos are not full because of Covid-19 deaths.
“The total number of Covid-19 deaths in Lagos as at today is 20; the only reason the mortuaries are full at this time is that funerals are not being held, and have not been held for most of the last two months.
“Lagosians can now hold or attend funeral ceremonies in Lagos State as long as you comply with the requirements that have been outlined, as follows:
” The total number of persons at the funeral, including officiating religious leaders, must not exceed 20.
“Physical distancing must be maintained at the funeral ceremony. All attendees/mourners must use masks and ensure they wash their hands after the ceremony. There must be no receptions or parties to accompany these funerals.
“Rest assured that as long as these directives are fully complied with, funerals will be allowed and encouraged to take place.”
He added that if the government is unable to decongest mortuaries across the state in the next two weeks, it will be compelled to carry out mass burials to achieve this.
“We do not want to be forced to do this, which is why we are asking for your cooperation in this regard”, he stressed.
“Keeping the rising curve of the infection at the back of our minds, the only people who should be out and about at this period are those who absolutely have to be. Everyone else, please stay at home,” he said.
“For those who have to go out, please ensure that you use a mask, and maintain appropriate physical distancing”, the governor added.
