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Letters | As Hong Kong’s Covid-19 death rate rises, three measures could lessen the ordeal of grieving families
- Readers discuss how the government could enable families of those who died of Covid-19 to come to terms with their loss, Chinese medicine’s potential to relieve Covid-19 symptoms, the shortcomings of isolation facilities, and the reopening of barber shops
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Since 2019, Hong Kong has been coping with a mental health epidemic because of the political unrest followed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Hongkongers are suffering from stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, which were reported to be associated with the strict social distancing measures, fear of contracting Covid-19, and the prolonged disruption of daily life.
Hong Kong’s seven-day rolling average of Covid-19-related deaths per million people soared early this month to the world’s highest. Public mortuaries tripled their capacity by deploying mobile refrigeration units to store bodies, but still many bodies were placed on gurneys or beds inside emergency rooms.
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Some funeral homes have suspended handling Covid-19 deaths after some of their staff got infected after handling bodies. And although most hospitals have farewell rooms for the relatives to hold simple memorial rites before the body is sent to a crematorium or cemetery, this is not possible when hospitals are overwhelmed and space is limited.
For the families of those who died from Covid-19, the only option would seem to be to send the deceased directly from a hospital mortuary to a crematorium without holding ceremonies.
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Holding a funeral allows people to acknowledge and come to terms with their grief, which is crucial to preserving mental health. It is particularly important for bereaved families who were unable to be physically present with the sick person in their final moments or who want to perform specific religious rituals.
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