A cremation about to take place at Bình Hưng Hoà Cemetery in Bình Tân District. HCM City will cover expenses for funeral services for deceased COVID patients. Photo congan.com.vn

HCM CITY — HCM City authorities said the city would cover expenses for funeral services for deceased COVID patients in “the safest and most solemn manner”.

Nguyễn Toàn Thắng, director of the city Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the family would receive VNĐ17 million (US$740) to cover transportation, cremation and delivery of the ashes to them.

For COVID patients who die at hospital, the city Department of Health will transfer funds to the hospitals to arrange for funeral services.

For COVID-19 patients who die at home, their families will need to present a death certificate to their ward or commune or township authorities to receive financial support.

The city has also set a standard price for funeral service fees for those who do not die of COVID. 

According to Thắng, people should contact the HCM City Urban Environment Company for recommendations to find a reasonably priced service provider.

The price is VNĐ4.2 million at burial facilities managed by the HCM City Urban Environment Company compared to VNĐ4.5-5 million at other companies, according to Thắng.

Cremation of people who died of COVID-19 must be done according to a six-step process prescribed by the Ministry of Health to ensure safety.

When a COVID patient dies, whether at home or at the hospital, the body must be disinfected and transported directly to the cremation place by specialised vehicles for cremation within 24 hours from the time of death.

For a death occurring at a medical examination and treatment facility, the burial process must follow a special process for dangerous diseases, and the burial must be done as soon as possible at the hospital funeral home, with a limited number of people participating in the funeral process.

The city has assigned the HCM City High Command to receive and return the ashes of deceased COVID-19 patients to the family.

If family members cannot directly receive the ashes of the deceased, the city’s Religious Affairs Committee will transfer the ashes to be kept at temples or pagodas until the relatives come to receive them. 

Cremation is being carried out at Bình Hưng Hòa Cemetery in Bình Tân District, the city’s major and largest centre, as well as Đa Phước Cemetery in Bình Chánh District, Phúc An Viên Cemetery in Thủ Đức City, and Tháp Long Thọ Cemetery in Củ Chi District.

According to Thắng, the city has asked cemeteries not to raise the price of the service or refuse any case. 

HCM City, the country’s pandemic epicentre, has recorded more than 124,000 infections since late April. More than 2,500 deaths have occurred as of Monday, out of the country’s 3,215 deaths. — VNS