Electric crematorium closed for past two days

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Six PADT employees have been kept in quarantine inside Pashupati area after cremating the first coronavirus victim Kathmandu, May 18 The
country only electric crematorium at Pashupatinath has been shut for the last two days after cremating the body of the country first
COVID-19 victim on May 16. Staffers at the crematorium told THT that they had to close the facility since they did not have personnel
protective equipment carry out their work
They also complained that they did know how to handle COVID-19 infected bodies, which had put them at risk of contracting the disease from
the bodies
The employees also said no disinfectant was used at the crematorium area after cremating the body
The area was simply cleaned with water
&We have not been provided disinfectant to clean the area after incinerating the body,& said a staffer. There are a total 16 people working
at the crematorium, but so far they have been given only one set of PPE and it has already been used
&The authorities cannot exert pressure to carry out our duties without ensuring our safety,& the source said. Pashupati Area Development
Trust, an authorised body to operate the crematorium, however, tried to hide the truth behind the closure of the crematorium and said they
had to do so in a bid to disinfect the area
&We closed the facility for 48 hours to disinfect the area and regular service will resume from tomorrow,& said Ghanashyam Khatiwada,
executive director of PADT. Khatiwada, however, also said that the cremation service wouldn&t be closed for such a long period from the next
time as the Ministry of Health and Population had issued an order today to operate the facility within 12 hours after cremating any COVID-19
victim. Six employees have been kept in quarantine inside Pashupati area after cremating the first COVID-19 victim
&We have provided isolation facility to employees to continue uninterrupted service
We have rotation policy for employees,& Khatiwada said. Meanwhile, PADT employees have demanded that the house for observing post-cremation
rites in Pashupati Area be shut considering the risk of transmission of the disease
PADT has agreed to close the facility for some time. A version of this article appears in e-paper on May 19, 2020 of The Himalayan
Times. The post Electric crematorium closed for past two days appeared first on The Himalayan Times.