KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian volunteers, who help to give virus victims a Muslim burial, say they are being stretched like never before, as the Southeast Asian country struggles to cope with its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
Dressed in full protective gear, the Malaysian Funeral Management Squad is usually called in by hospitals to help families to pay their last respects in a safe way.
Muhammad Rafieudin Zainal Rasid, a religious leader who heads the nationwide volunteer team, has become known as the “cleric undertaker.” He said the volunteers were currently handling nearly 30 times more bodies than they did last year.
The volunteer team ha…
Keep on reading: Malaysian volunteer undertakers struggle to cope as COVID cases surge