Final goodbye: Volunteers tell of caring for Covid-19 dead in M'sia
When the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Sabah in September 2020, Zaiddin Abdul Rahim didn’t know he would be kept busy but in an unwanted way.
The 40-year-old Zaiddin is the manager of a Lahad Datu-based volunteer group that offers free funeral services for the community...
When the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Sabah in September 2020, Zaiddin Abdul Rahim didn’t know he would be kept busy but in an unwanted way.
The 40-year-old Zaiddin is the manager of a Lahad Datu-based volunteer group that offers free funeral services for the Muslim community.
Known fondly as "Abang Pilot" by the locals, Zaiddin’s organisation has helped in more than 40 funerals for deceased Covid-19 patients over the past one year.
“We cleanse the bodies of the deceased patients using dust in a process called tayammum (dry purification). This is considered their ‘shower’.
“Then we keep our distance and perform our prayers at the hospital concerned.
“There were family members who had asked if they could perform the prayers instead. But allowing that is beyond our jurisdiction and control,” he said in an interview with KiniTV.
Zaiddin said that other than prayers, his organisation also offered hearse services for transporting the bodies from the hospitals to the burial grounds.
Even there, family members of the deceased can only watch from a distance of 50 metres. They are not allowed near the grave until the next day.
“This is because we (the volunteers) were there. Although the place would be sanitised after we left, there is a worry that the Covid-19 virus in the area would be still active.”
Zaiddin also recounted his saddest moment of burying his three best friends who passed away due to Covid-19.
"This happened in the same month, the same week. All three of our best friends passed away at the same time.
“Seeing their bodies made us shed tears. There were a few cases when we witnessed our own good friends pass away.
"This was very saddening for us.”
For the full interview, please watch the KiniTV video below:
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