The Maldives president’s office says it is discussing how to provide a “humane response” to a request from neighbouring Sri Lanka to allow burials for Muslims who die of Covid-19.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Hood said on Tuesday that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has received a request from Sri Lanka to look into the possibility of allowing such burials.
“The request has been received. At present we are considering and discussions are ongoing with regard to what would be the appropriate and humane response,” Hood told The Associated Press.
There was no immediate confirmation from Sri Lanka of such a request. Sri Lanka’s government in March announced it will cremate the bodies of all people who die of Covid-19, saying the coronavirus could contaminate underground water.
Sri Lankan Muslims have urged the government to allow burials, citing their religious beliefs. They accuse the government of denying Muslims a basic right without scientific grounds, since many countries in the world allow burials.
Sri Lanka’s confirmed cases since March reached 33,477 on Tuesday, including 154 fatalities.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: — Authorities in Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that more than 3,000 Covid-19 cases have been detected in the country’s highly congested prisons, as infections also surge in the capital and its suburbs. They said that 2,984 inmates and 103 guards have been confirmed to have the disease in seven prisons around the country. Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested, with more than 26,000 inmates crowded in facilities with a capacity of 10,000.