The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people in Turkey bury and mourn their dead.
Cemetery workers, wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, use ropes to lower the coffin of Munevver Kaya, who died of COVID-19, during burial at a special section of Baklaci cemetery in Istanbul that is dedicated for coronavirus victims, in Istanbul.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Only a handful of family members were able to attend the burial of Munevver Kaya, who died of COVID-19, wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, offer their prayers during a funeral at a special section of Baklaci cemetery in Istanbul, that is dedicated for coronavirus victims.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Relatives of Munevver Kaya, who died of COVID-19, pray as an imam, center, wearing a hazmat suit and face mask for protection against the coronavirus, recites prayers during a funeral at a special section of Baklaci cemetery in Istanbul, that is dedicated for coronavirus victims.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Morgue workers, wearing suits and face masks for protection against the coronavirus, cover the coffin of a person who died of COVID-19, with an Islamic flag as it is taken for burial at a morgue in Istanbul, where bodies are prepared for burial according to Islamic traditions.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Cemetery workers, wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, carry the coffin of Cemal Guler, who died of COVID-19, for burial at a special section of Baklaci cemetery in Istanbul that is dedicated for coronavirus victims.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
These morgue workers, all wearing suits and face masks for protection against the coronavirus, load the coffin of a person, who died of COVID-19 into a a hearse truck, at the Zincirlikuyu morgue in Istanbul, where bodies are prepared for burial according to Islamic traditions.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Freshly dug graves are seen at a special section of Baklaci cemetery in Istanbul that is dedicated for coronavirus victims.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
AP/Emrah Gurel
Female morgue workers, wearing suits, face masks and shield for protection against the coronavirus, prepare the body of a woman who died of COVID-19, at the Zincirlikuyu morgue in Istanbul, for burial according to Islamic traditions.
(AP/Emrah Gurel)
ISTANBUL (AP) — In a special section of Istanbul’s Baklaci cemetery set aside for COVID-19 victims, a gaggle of workers well outnumbered the three mourners — the maximum number of relatives allowed to attend the burial of Munever Kaya.
Their unenviable task was to intervene and remind the bereaved of social distancing rules whenever grief and the relentless urge for a friendly human touch overcame them.
Like elsewhere, the pandemic has changed the way Turks bury and mourn their dead.
On some occasions, funeral prayers have been held at the graveside instead of in mosques, as is the normal custom. Mourners must stand well apart and wear masks.
Traditional “mevlit” ceremonies — a kind of wake held at the home of the deceased where a poem on the Prophet Muhammad is read — have also suffered due to the restrictions on gatherings.
Meanwhile, travel restrictions force many families to bury their loved ones in the place where they died, instead of taking the bodies back to hometowns or villages as decreed by tradition.
“On some occasions, we have buried the dead ourselves because no family or friends could be present,” explained Safak Cevirme, deputy head of the Istanbul Cemeteries Directorate.
Despite its high rate of coronavirus infections, Turkey’s death toll is relatively low and morgues have not been overwhelmed, unlike in other hotspots such as Italy or Spain.
Still, concerns over the safe handling of COVID-19 victims’ bodies are high.
At Zincirlikuyu, one of Istanbul’s main morgues, officials who wash and prepare bodies for burial according to Islamic tradition wear hazmat suits and other protective equipment.
“We have always followed strict guidelines but overalls, goggles and face shields have now been added,” Cevirme said. “Our personnel are among those under the highest risk of infection, after health workers.”
A number of morgue workers and burial officials in Istanbul were infected but all have recovered, he said, adding that all personnel are offered psychological support to cope with the strain.
