Charity morgue blamed for mix-up as wrong COVID-19 victim buried

Reynold James and Bibi Jalleal both died from COVID-19 in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and their bodies were transported from the Suddie Public Hospital to the Charity Mortuary.
On Sunday last, an undertaker attached to the parlour buried the body of the man in place of the woman.
The mix-up was discovered on Friday when the family of James realised that the body they were given by the mortuary for burial was that of Bibi Jalleal.
James’s family is now demanding that the buried body be exhumed so that they can have a proper funeral service.
Regional Commander Crystal Robinson told this publication, however, that no exhumation will be done.
Instead, she said the James family will be allowed to go to the location where the man is buried to conduct a prayer service while the woman’s body will be buried today.
The Commander explained that COVID-19 victims are not supposed to be returned to families for burial, so it is unclear why the body of James was being returned to the family.
“Nobody could really say,” she said.
The Commander explained that it was for this reason that the Jalleal family was never given a body for burial, but instead, the burial was undertaken by the funeral home.