Presby Moderator directs members to bury relatives “quickly” and postpone funerals
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev. Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, has directed all Presbyterians across the country to bury dead relatives without delay, to decongest the country’s mortuaries.
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Ghana, President Nana Akufo-Addo, via an Executive Instrument, placed a ban on all public gatherings. The caveat was 25 attendees for funerals or private burials for the deceased.
However, many bereaved families have chosen to preserve the bodies of their relatives until the ban is lifted to organise grand funerals.
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The situation has resulted in an increase in the population of dead bodies with several morgue managers warning of their facilities hitting full capacity within days.
In a circular, Prof. Mante has asked church leaders to “kindly convey to our Agents to impress upon our members who have deceased relatives in mortuaries to bury them quickly and then have the final funeral rites later”.
The spiritual leader explained, “We are not in normal times, and the mortuaries are getting full with dead bodies”.
He emphasised that it was “not in the interest of us all, and it is not safe for all of us, to have our mortuaries overflowing with dead bodies”.
He entreated members to “learn to do something a little differently in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic,” which has resulted in 2,074 cases within a period of seven weeks.
A total of 212 people have overcome the infection to recover fully, but 17 have succumbed, passing away, within days after contracting the virulent infection.
Prof. Mante was hopeful, “The Lord will take us through this period. Let us all keep the faith”.
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