DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, December 28, 2020 (The South African): A Durban crematorium has been forced to extend their business hours because of an unprecedented increase in cremations resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Clare Estate Umgeni Hindu Crematorium usually conducted an average of eight cremations a day pre-Covid-19, but that number has rocketed to 27 cremations per day – over half of which are Covid-19 related deaths.
Crematorium secretary Thegraj Kassie told IOL the crematorium was forced into changes to cope with the high volume of bodies coming in. The situation is quite bad. We have seen a big increase in cremations, particularly Covid-19 related deaths. As a result, we have had to extend our operating hours to 10 pm at night to cope with the demand.” Kassie added that they have designated two halls on the property that solely deal with Covid-19 related deaths and have instituted time limits on funerals. “We allocate 40 minutes for a normal funeral and 30 minutes for a Covid-19 related funeral.”