IN the 35 years that Abdul Rahim Talib has worked as a grave digger at Kg Merbau Sempak Muslim Cemetery in Sungai Buloh, he has never had to bury as many bodies a day as he does now.

With the escalating number of Covid-19 deaths, which continue to trend above 100 daily, the 51-year-old is now burying four to five people a day, with the help of another colleague. Both men are hired by a local mosque nearby to handle the burials.

“I have never experienced this before. Usually, I bury one or two people a day, at the most. Since the pandemic worsened, there has been definitely more than one burial a day, every day,” Rahim said.

Stranger yet, is the awful silence and loneliness that he feels as the bodies are laid to rest alone, as family members are only able to watch from a distance due to Covid-19 burial protocols.

“I am waiting for yet another body to be buried, another coronavirus death,” he said, alluding to the rising Covid-19 death toll in Malaysia. 

Daily Covid-19 deaths have been exceeding 100 on most days since early July. The highest record was 207 deaths, which was recorded on July 26 and July 27, 2021 respectively.

Since late April, Covid-19 deaths have occurred into the double digits and the situation has only deteriorated. In May, 1,290 people died of infection. The figure grew to 2,374 in June. By July, the number had skyrocketed to 3,854.

The high fatality rate has been attributed to the Delta variant, lack of care for patients, and an overtaxed healthcare system.

The Sungai Buloh cemetery where Rahim works at is located in Selangor, the state hardest hit by the Covid-19 outbreak, which saw it topping the number of infections and deaths on the daily.

His cemetery is also near the Sungai Buloh Hospital, a designated Covid-19 hospital.

Despite an increase in Covid-19 fatalities, Selangor’s Islamic Religious Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Halal Industry Committee Chairman, Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, said that there is more than enough burial space for cemeteries.

“At the moment, we are not worried about not having enough space. The space that we have can last for another 10 years.

“There is no issue of having to open up more areas to be turned into new cemeteries,” Zawawi told The Malaysian Insight.

An official from the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, who refused to be named, agreed with Zawawi.

He said so far there is sufficient space at the graveyards in Petaling, including in its sub-districts.

He admitted, however, that the number of deaths are on a frightening increase.

“At a graveyard in Kota Damansara alone there are already close to 200 Covid-19 victim (bodies) and in Taman Medan, it is close to 80.

“(And) this is increasing each day. So far, the space is enough but we are going to open up if necessary and we are separating those who died of Covid-19 (from other causes of death),” the official said under the condition of anonymity.

On the other hand, an officer from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall said that the situation with regard to Covid-19 burials is under control, despite the surging number of daily deaths.

“The cemetery at Jalan Kuari in Cheras and in Jalan Ampang have seen an increase in terms of demand, but so far it is manageable,” the DBKL officer said in reference to Muslim burials.

Meanwhile, cremation services for non-Muslims are in high demand and many have been put on a waiting list.

The media has reported bodies stacking up in hospitals and at morgues, as the Klang Valley’s two major crematoriums are already running at full capacity.

For example, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) in Klang has been using containers to store bodies as its mortuary has run out of space.

A former doctor who recently resigned from HTAR told The Malaysian Insight that the hospital has allocated three containers on site for that purpose.

“Most of the patients coming in are in Category 4 and there are some 300 to 400 pending patients under the emergency department alone.

“We are under-treating patients as we lack everything. HTAR cannot manage.

“Every day, you are posted to take care of Covid-19 patients who are waiting to die. It is just heart-breaking,” the doctor told The Malaysian Insight. 

As of July 31, more than 9,000 people in Malaysia have died from the virus since the pandemic hit the country’s shores last year. – August 1, 2021.