Municipalities asked to identify mortuaries for Covid-19 bodies

All provincial departments of health in the country have been asked to identify suitable government mortuaries that will accommodate Covid-19 bodies.

This was among rules and regulations set out in a government gazette published in a bid to help curb the rise of Covid-19.

Health minister Zweli Mkhize published the rules on Wednesday.

Mkhize has given all municipalities in the country 48 hours to identify and submit a list of suitably authorised mortuaries that would accommodate Covid-19 bodies.

He said the mortuaries should have valid certificates of competence for accommodation of the Covid-19 remains and further management.

The lists had to be  submitted to the national department of health within 48 hours of the date of the publication of the directive.

Mkhize announced on Wednesday evening that the number of South Africans who had died of Covid-19 had increased to 18.

He said there had been five additional deaths confirmed since he released the previous figures on Tuesday.

There were also 96 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 since Tuesday, taking the total to 1,845 across SA.