Lagos to organise mass burials if mortuaries not decongested within 2 weeks

The Lagos state government says it will be forced to “have a mass burial” if mortuaries across the state are not decongested within two weeks. Speaking during a COVID-19 briefing on Saturday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted the mortuary overload was not as a result of COVID-19 deaths.

Less than 20 deaths have been recorded in the state, according to the government. However, for about two months, there have been no funerals in Lagos due to the Lent period and COVID-19 restrictions, the Governor explained.

“If we’re unable to see a decongestion of mortuaries across the state within the next two weeks, Lagos state government will now be compelled to seek to have a mass burial and we would not want to force this on anybody, which is why we are asking for the cooperation of all of us,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“This is not the time when you need to wait for your brother or your sister or your sibling, who is 10,000km or 6,000km away from here for them to come back before you can have the funeral.

“These are very difficult times and I can imagine that families and relatives and siblings will understand that we need to have this and we need to put this behind us. “So, we are reiterating it again that we’ll give two weeks window and we’ll expect a lot of people to comply after which the state government might have to take other decisions in that manner.”

The Governor noted that burials must be done according to social distancing guidelines. “The total number of persons at the funeral, including officiating religious leaders, must not exceed 20,” he said.

“Appropriate 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 also must be NO receptions or parties to accompany these funerals.”