PUTRAJAYA: “The recitation of Al-Fatihah and prayers are offered as final gifts from us to the deceased of Covid-19,” said Yazrul Ekhzan.

       According to the staff member of the Putrajaya Corporation cemetery and crematorium sub-unit, there was a time when he felt “lonely” when handling the remains of Covid-19 patients as no next of kin was allowed to accompany the deceased on their final journey.

       “It is hard to see that the relatives of a Covid-19 victim could not touch, hug or kiss the body for one last time.

       “Some family members came to accompany the hearse but could not come near to the cemetery because of the SOP to eliminate risk of infection,” he said.

       However, the heavy workload and less attention from the community did not break the spirit of Yazrul, 42, and his six other colleagues who work as gravediggers.

       The father of four said they received phone calls almost every day from Hospital Putrajaya to dig graves because bodies would be sent to Taman Selatan in Precinct 20, which has Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian cemeteries.

       Upon receiving the task, Yazrul said they would proceed to the cemetery to ensure the remains were handled as soon as possible to avoid the risk of virus transmission.

       “Teamwork is very important because we have to face unpredictable weather, especially when it is really hot or raining heavily,” he said.

       Yazrul, who has been working as a gravedigger for nearly six months, said some people failed to understand that Covid-19 was very serious and it was sad to see that they were taking it lightly by not complying with the SOP.

       Meanwhile, his colleague, Zulkhurnain Abu Samah, 50, said gravediggers played an important role during the pandemic even though they were not rescuing lives or maintaining public safety like other front line workers.

       “This is a trust and we have to carry it out with full dedication despite the difficulties. When Covid-19 first hit the country, we were worried about handling the bodies because at that time there was not much information on the virus and its danger level.

       “As the daily cases surged and the death toll increased, we had to execute this task the best we could,” he said.

       Another colleague, Mohd Rizal Othman, 41, said so far, none of them had been infected or quarantined.

       “Alhamdulillah, we are safe until today. Besides all the prayers, we always ensure the SOP for funeral and burial management set by the Putrajaya District Health Office is complied with, especially involving the correct use of PPE suits,” he said. — Bernama