GUNTUR: The district administration has launched an awareness programme to eliminate the social stigma associated with Covid-19.
As part of it, Joint Collector (Rythu Bharosa and Revenue) AS Dinesh Kumar participated in the funeral of a 57-year-old man from Challapalli in Krishna district who died of Covid-19, at the cremation ground at Bongaralabeedu in the city on Sunday.
The district administration with the help of Amma Charitable Trust and other NGOs, has taken the initiative of performing the last rites of Covid-19 victims as per the protocol as family members and close relatives of some of the victims are reluctant to do it out of fear of contracting the virus.
Allaying the fears of people, the Joint Collector said there is no harm in participating in the funeral of Covid victims by taking all necessary precautions as the hospital authorities hand over the body packed in a plastic cover to the kin after disinfecting it.
Hence, people should not show any discrimination towards Covid-19 victims. It is humane to perform the last rites of a deceased person in a proper manner, the Joint Collector said.
Guntur RDO and Covid Officer S Bhaskar Reddy, Nodal Officer Ramesh Naidu, tahsildar Srikanth, Guntur Municipal Corporation Deputy Commissioner B Srinivasa Rao, Amma Charitable Trust and Mahaprasthanam Seva Samithi representatives participated in the funeral.
The local authorities are performing the last rites of the coronavirus victims after getting consent of his/her kin as per their religious tradition with the help of NGOs to avoid pile up in hospital mortuaries.
The bodies of victims are being disposed of strictly as per Covid-19 protocol.