A former superintendent of public health has labelled as a "morbid circus" the funerals of COVID-19 victims.
Ray Busuttil shared a photograph on social media showing funeral directors dressed in full PPE while escorting a plastic-wrapped coffin out of a church.
Busutti said the picture was taken during a funeral service last Friday of one of the 64 people to die with the virus in Malta and was not in line with procedures recommended by the World Health Organisation.
He said: "What an unnecessary charade. It is disrespectful, stigmatising and degrading for the deceased person, not to mention the pain and heart break it causes for an already devastated family. The only positive outcome from it all is an additional payment to the undertaker."
The former superintendent, who also previously sat on the 35-member executive board of the WHO, said the measures on display were "way, way beyond" recommendations on the handling of coffins of COVID-19 victims.
“Persons handling a coffin where the deceased is in a sealed body bag, as is the case in Malta, need to wear no additional protective clothing except for the face mask, in line with current public health measures for the public in general,” he said.
“There is neither the need for the coffin to be wrapped in plastic and covered with a sheet.
I appeal to the health authorities to bring to a halt such a morbid circus.”
What do the guidelines say?
The WHO currently recommends that people who have died from COVID-19 can be buried or cremated according to national and local requirements that dictate the handling and disposition of remains.
Family and friends may view the body but should not touch or kiss it and wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after viewing.
Those tasked with placing the body in the grave should wear gloves and wash their hands after the gloves are removed once burial is complete.
According to the guidelines, health care or mortuary staff are only advised to wear PPE such as gloves, gowns, medical masks and eye protection when preparing the body.
Guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Control similarly state that burials may be held as usual for COVID-19 victims and that if mourners or religious representatives were to touch the body, then PPE should be used to prevent direct contact.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said that funeral directors had no specific instructions to wear PPE other than what is currently required for the general public.
Guidelines issued to funeral directors state that the same group of employees should be responsible for transporting the deceased from the mortuary to the church and from the church to the burial grounds and that no family members should be allowed to carry the coffin.
Funerals for COVID-19 victims must also be conducted within 24 hours of the death.