RADIO INTERVIEW ON THE STATE OF READINESS OF MUCIPALITIES, SACA`S POSITION ON THE POSIBILITIES FOR INCREASED DEATHS DUE TO THE SCOURGE OF THE CORONA VIRUS.
RADIO STATION: INANDA 88.4 FM
RADIO SLOT TIME: 19H00, 06/04/2020, (11 MIN)
INTERVIEWEE, DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: MR THOKOZANI CYRIL MTAMBO
INTERVIEWER: MFANAFUTHI MAGWAZA

AIM

The interview was requested subsequent to the release of the South African Cemeteries Association statement to the media, cautioning and advising municipalities to get prepared on the possibilities of high demand for burial space and cremation facilities that might result due to the pandemic of Corona Virus in South Africa. It was also aimed at articulating further in isiZulu language, so that the same message will have far reaching spread to many communities of KZN.

Question: Mr. Mtambo, tell us briefly what triggered the South African Cemeteries Association to make a call to municipalities to prepare themselves for the high demand for burial space and cremation facilities?
Response : We think that the time has come for the municipalities not to keep silence anymore on the issues of cemeteries and crematoria in their respective jurisdictions, the disposal of human remains and the management of cemeteries and crematoriums are the responsibilities of the local municipalities, the spread of the Corona Virus has started to sweep through our nation and like any other country that had been infected by the Virus, preparations for the disposal of the remains of the Corona Virus victims had to be done by relevant authorities, in our case such preparations are at the door step of the municipalities.

Question: The spread comes at a time where most of the municipalities in KZN, including EThekwini Metro had indicated that they are running out of space quite fast, in your opinion, how must these municipalities respond to your call as SACA for this possibility of more land demand and cremation facilities?
Response: I think there are two responses that we are hoping to see from our municipalities amid the state of disaster that we are in as a country.
1. The municipalities will take the issue of adopting and acting on the issue of alternative burial methods more seriously than they have done before especially the method of cremation as it is the most preferred way of disposing the bodies that are affected by the Virus.
2. This calls for the municipalities to act swiftly in taking stock of the number of graves available within their cemeteries and set them aside for any eventualities, the municipalities need to revisit those areas within their jurisdictions either inside or outside the cemetery zoned areas, which could not be utilized for burial purposes due to environmental constrains or any other reasons before and start to apply for mitigating processes with the relevant authorities for the use of such areas as a response to accommodate the bodies/victims of Corona Virus.

Question: What is your message as the Association to the public out there, on what role they can play in the mist of the rapid spread of the Corona Virus, what message can you convey to the cemetery officials who are unease due to the danger that their workplace could present due to the contaminated bodies that will be brought at cemeteries?
Response: As an Association, we would like re-iterate and support the call made by the President of the Republic and Health Department Officials in the promotion of hygiene, in particular regular hand washing and sanitizing, adhering to social distancing and self-isolation at home to those who feel weak and many other measures that are pronounced to break the circle of the spread of the virus. To the Cemetery officials we say practice safety at all times at work place, use proper PPE for the job you`re doing, adhering to the guidance from the Cemetery Managers for the direction during this time of disaster is key, there are already Guidelines that the Association has sent to most municipalities on how to navigate operations during this time which will be of great assistance.

Question: Lastly, the regulation that limits the number of mourners to 50 per burial and the lockdown in general, how has it affected the function of municipalities when it comes to cemeteries?
Response: Generally, in most municipalities Cemeteries are operational during this lockdown period, therefore the function of opening and closing of graves is not affected, the issue will start when the cemeteries start to receive more than average burial requests, meaning if there were not enough prepared graves available, and those municipalities will run into a dilemma. The greater change of things is more on families, particularly African families to change from their conventional way of burying their loved ones, by coming in multitudes at cemeteries for their closure with the departed.
Unfortunately, the state that we are in as a country does not afford us luxury anymore to choose what will be preferable to anyone, but it demands that we all pull in one direction in order to defeat this common enemy of CORONA VIRUS

Question: Any announcement that you might want to share with our listeners as your closing statement?
Response: Let me close with this, we don`t have any announcement to share, but we are saying “the Storm is here now and it is fiercer than we all thought it was going to be, lets rise now and live or lay down and be swept away”.

The South African Cemeteries Association (SACA) urges municipalities to be prepared for an increase in the death rate due to the Covid_19 pandemic in context of the rate of infection internationally. Whilst everything reasonably possible is being done to contain the pandemic with the lockdown, our socioeconomic conditions will nevertheless pose an incredible challenge to achieve the objective of containment measures. A large section of our population in excess of 5 million live in informal settlements and an even greater number (in excess of 13 million) live in townships. High density living as a result of this and other circumstances that force people together is unfortunately ideal for the spread of the pandemic. It is also evident that with high infection levels there will be an expected level of fatality.

In anticipation of the increase in the death rate, municipalities are recommended to put plans in place if this has not already been done. Ideally remains should be cremated as is advised by the health authorities locally and internationally, however this may pose a challenge as South Africa has very few crematorium facilities. The following recommendations are provided to guide municipalities.

Burials

• Identify land within cemeteries to be prepared for emergency burials for bodies identified as infected. If this is unavailable, then consider adjacent vacant land to existing cemeteries that may be expropriated if private or incorporate it into the existing boundary of the cemetery if the land is municipal owned.
• Identify any other suitable state owned or municipal land if the above option is not available.
• Consideration must be given to suitability of land with regards to distances from communities and residential areas, high water tables and water sources.
• Current legislation requires cemeteries to be located 350m from ground water sources used for drinking purposes and at least 500m from the nearest habitable building.
• The preferred burial site should have a soil of sand-clay mix of low porosity and a small fine-grain texture; the water table should be at least 2.5m deep in order to allow for traditional grave depth of six feet (1.8 meters).
• For areas with higher water tables, the local government may determine a reasonable depth with additional walling recommendations to protect underground water; and the covering soil shall not be less than 1m, should two bodies be buried in the same grave, 300mm of soil shall be maintained between the coffins or bodies.
• SACA advises that in a state of emergency or national disaster exemption for relaxation from existing environmental regulations (above) may be required.
• Application for the relaxation of environmental regulations may include the distance between the burial ground and residential area reduced to 100m. (WHO recommends 100m-500m)
• Water table requirements reduced to less 2.5m but greater than 2m if burying two bodies per grave or no less than 1.8m if burying a single body per grave. There should be a level of soil of at least 0.5m between the water table and the barrier/ plastic lining.
• Reduction of the distance between the burial site and water sources like rivers, lakes etc to 100m. (WHO recommends 50m)
• Plastic linings similar to that used in land filled sites for the prevention of leachate should be used. This should not be biodegradable.
• Bodies should be buried in clearly marked, individual graves, although multiple trench communal graves may be unavoidable in mass disasters.
• These graves should have a numeric or other recognisable grave marking system so that associated details of the deceased can be recorded against the relevant number.
• Graves should ideally be assessible from at least two sides to allow access at a later stage by families, or for exhumation if the threat of infection is later eliminated and families request this.
• The paths between trenches must be wide enough to allow for mechanical backfill which is the preferred least labour-intensive method.
• In mass trench graves bodies should be spaced at least 0.5m apart with clearly set permanent beacons identifying the ends of the trench grave site in order to identify burials of individual through measurement.
• If bodies are to be buried above each other in trenches, then soil must be backfilled to achieve 0.3m between bodies. The record must also indicate the position of the body in the grave in terms of bottom to top.
• Burials should be conducted during the day in clear weather to prevent complications with collapses and falls and to ensure good visibility for recording.
• Details of personnel employed in the exercise will need to be kept for further reference if required.

Cremation

• Whilst cremation is the preferred method for the treatment of covid19 infected bodies there are few crematoria available. Consideration should be given to using incinerators and also procuring portable cremators or incinerators. The challenges for procurement could take over 6-8 weeks.
• Storage facilities need to be functional or increased by the use of portable refrigeration containers which may accommodate approximately 100 bodies per container.
• All existing/new/portable storage facilities must be certified compliant by an environmental health practitioner operating within the local authority.
• Observe strict personal hygiene and put on appropriate personal protective equipment including gloves, water resistant gown / plastic apron over water repellent gown, and surgical mask. Use goggles or face shield to protect eyes, if there may be splashes.
• Do NOT smoke, drink or eat. Do NOT touch your eyes, mouth or nose.
• Coffins brought into the crematorium should be sprayed and the path into the crematorium cleared and regularly sprayed.
• All surfaces which may be contaminated should be wiped with “1 in 49 diluted household bleach” (mixing 1 part of 5.25% bleach with 49 parts of water), leave it for 15-30 minutes, and then rinse with water. Metal surfaces could be wiped with 70% alcohol.
• Ashes once cooled may be packaged for the family and handed to the undertaker. Packages should be wiped down with bleach solution and handed over whilst ensuring good hand sanitation.
• After use, the disposable items such as gloves and protective clothing should be disposed of in a plastic bag.
• The above guidelines have considered recommendations from various accredited international and national organisations.

We remain committed to keeping you informed and will provide updates as and when necessary.

Keep safe and healthy!

Executive Committee, South African Cemeteries Association.

Guidelines for the Preparation of Mass Burials and Cremation of COVID-19 Victims

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