Lankan Ministry of Epidemics denies appointing panel on disposal of COVID dead
Posted on January 4th, 2021
Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Colombo, January 4: The Sri Lankan State Ministry of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Primary Disease Control has refuted media reports claiming that a committee has been appointed to make recommendations on the issues surrounding the cremation of the remains of Covid victims in Sri Lanka.
Issuing a statement, the Ministry said there is no truth to recent reports published on various media that State Minister Sudharshini Fernandopulle had appointed a committee to deliberate if the remains of Covid victims should be cremated or buried.
State Minister Fernandopulle has pointed out that as Covid-19 is a new disease, initial recommendations made by the World Health Organization are subject to change with new emerging evidence.
She has further insisted that Covid-19 disease control should always be based on science, while religion, race, politics, social and mythical beliefs should not be considered when taking decisions on disease control.
Stating that eminent virologists and other medical and scientific experts have been advised to make periodic recommendations on the disease, the statement said no request has been made to deliberate the issue over the cremation of remains of Covid-19 victims.
(The picture at the top shows the Sri Lankan Minister of Epidemics, Dr.Sudarshani Fernandopulle