TheCable

The presidential task force on COVID-19 has apologised for “some mistakes” made during the burial of Abba Kyari, late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kyari, who died from complications of COVID-19 on Friday, was buried at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja on Saturday.

Many Nigerians, especially on social media, had lamented that many of those who attended the burial did not keep to the directives on social distancing and adequate protection.

But in his speech on Monday, Sani Aliyu, national coordinator of the task force, said the crowd at the burial should have been controlled.

“The PTF will like to acknowledge and apologise for the mistakes that were made regarding the burial of the late Chief of Staff,” the PTF said

“We realised that crowd control failed, we have learned from this and we will ensure that future events are adequately regulated and follow the task force’s protocols.

“The Gudu Cemetery had since been decontaminated, the personal protective equipment discarded at the site; decontaminated being burned and discarded according to the NCDC guidelines.

“I’ll like to further clarify the issue of COVID-19 and the burial processes. Contrary to what is on social media, the body of the late Chief of Staff was properly prepared for burial, according to NCDC guidelines and the Islamic faith.

“The bodies of persons with COVID-19, as stated clearly by the WHO guidelines except in cases of viral haemorrhagic fever and cholera, dead bodies are generally not infectious. To date, there’s no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who had died of COVID-19.”

The task force said it will continue to follow the guidelines and protocols of the NCDC in the burial of COVID-19 patients.