Covid Burial Team Clash With Deceased Relatives.

Environmental health workers with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in charge of the burial of victims who succumbed to the novel coronavirus say they have laid down their tools over lack of security.

This was after some of them were attacked on August 27 by a relative of one of the deceased who had contested that the victim did not die of the virus.

Some 116 bodies have been buried by the assembly as of August 29, 2020.

The team led by Joseph Asitanga told Accra-based 3News said they are prepared to boycott the activities if efforts are not initiated to provide adequate security during the performance of their duties.

“My men are psychologically traumatised, and as of Thursday they told me they would boycott the exercise,” he said.

Mr Asitanga narrated that on Thursday, his some of his team members were “roughed up and beaten because the family was contesting the cause of death of their beloved.”

He explained that they were vehemently held from carrying the body away to the site for burial.

The helpless AMA team then left the body at the morgue to focus on other similar tasks in other facilities.

These personnel have been executing tasks every week since the advent of Covid-19 in Ghana.

The workers are also yet to receive their share of the special packages for front line workers, three months since its announcement by the President.

“All environmental health workers across the regions and various districts are unanimous in their decision to boycott the burials if they do not receive their packages by end of September,” emphasized Mr Asitanga.