Thursday, July 2, 2020
Preventive Protocols to be followed at Funerals and Prayers - Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia announced new protocols for the prevention of the novel corona virus during the funeral procession and its prayers, after modifications to previous protocols for the funerals.
The Ministry said that municipal supervisors must attend funerals, as well as security men, to prevent crowding and prevent the number from exceeding 50 people, in addition to using graveyard workers to supervised the washing and praying of the dead and burying them.
- The protocols also includes, Cemetery and attendance workers wear masks at all stages, disinfection of cemetery doors and burial tools before and after the deceased is buried, and persons responsible for the excavation process, carrying the funeral and those responsible for the burial process must wash hands with soap and water for a period of at least 40 seconds or with an approved disinfectant for a period not less than 20 seconds.
- To prevent crowding at the funeral of the dead and reducing the number of those responsible for digging to two people, the number of those responsible for carrying the funeral procession should be reduced to 4-8 members from 1 family, and allocating 2-4 individuals to the process of placing the dead in the grave and burial process, preventing the sharing of burial and drilling equipment between the persons responsible for them.
- The social distance must be followed with not less than 1 and half meters, preventing prayer at the funeral in the mosque and limiting it to praying in cemetery and making a distance of no less than a meter and half between each other during funeral prayer and in the event that there is not enough space to pray near graves, the prayer can be performed several times.
- Preventing shaking hands and touching the relatives of the deceased when offering condolences and preventing children less than 15 years of age, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases from attending the funeral and burial ceremonies. In case there is more than 1 funeral, burial times must be distributed and a specific time set for each funeral and prevention of burial two funerals at one time.
