This weekend we learnt that the government was no longer allowing bodies to be transported from the city in which an individual had died. It’s not clear how this policy was arrived at but it’s safe to say somebody thought it was a good idea in their had and simply made it a rule. We only got to know of the rule when the police published a notice with the information.

While the goal seemed noble the lack of transparency and consultation part immediately showed as officials could not answer some basic burning questions. Did this new rule apply to all deaths or just deaths related to COVID specifically bodies that had tested positive for COVID? Information Secretary Mangwana one of the many people who posted the new rule on their social media pages side stepped this question.

There were many other holes in the regulation. Such as what if a person died in an accident while passing through a town. Their body is taken to the mortuary of that town. So what happens here? Do we bury this person in that strange town with none of their relatives attending the funeral? Now that’s a line a nativist government is not willing to cross and they have since made a u-turn.

For those who want to transport the body for burial outside the city or town of death, they should ensure that the body is hermetically sealed in a triple coffin before collection of body from the funeral parlour or hospital mortuary.

Bigwigs give themselves an out

Not many people are going to afford this. It’s likely going to be costly and something ordinary people can do. This is not your everyday coffin. Its the preserve of the rich. Bigwigs will now be able to skirt the rules while the rest have no option but to obey the rule.