Ethiopia Limits Funerals to 50 People

If approved by the Council of Ministers, a new directive will allow a maximum of just 50 people to attend funeral ceremonies.

Drafted by the Ministry of Health, the directive limited the number of people that can attend a funeral ceremony as part of the current ongoing fight to ward off the potential spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Tabled to the Council of Ministers last week, the directive followed the regulation that was issued by the Council two weeks ago to execute the state of emergency that was declared to contain the spread of the virus. The emergency decree gives the Ministry of Health a mandate to prepare health-related legislation including this latest directive.

In the making for the past month, the directive allows only close family members and friends of the deceased to attend the funeral ceremony. Before reaching the Council of Ministers, the directive was sent to the Office of the Attorney General for legal review two weeks ago.

Traditionally, funeral ceremonies in Ethiopia are known to be attended by a crowd of people, according to Seharela Abdullahi, state minister for Heath.

"This could potentially be a cause for the spread of the virus," she told Fortune, explaining the reason for the directive.

The directive is expected to be approved in a week's time. It proposes the formation of a 10-member temporary task force that will be responsible for overseeing the execution of the new procedure. Representatives from the ministries of Labour & Social Affairs, Transport, and Health will be members of the task force.

Apart from family members of the deceased, religious fathers, security forces, and those who will handle the funeral ceremony are allowed to attend funerals, according to the draft directive. It also mandates that those who are deployed to handle the burial process must wear full protective gear.