China orders remains of coronavirus patients to be cremated nearby

Funeral home workers removing the body of a person suspect to have died from a virus outbreak from a residential building in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province. - AP

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN): Chinese authorities have ordered the remains of patients infected with the novel coronavirus to be cremated close to where they are, and funeral traditions such as a farewell ceremony are banned, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday (Feb 2).

The remains of infected patients should not be transported between different provincial-level regions, and cannot be preserved by burial or other means, according to a trial guideline jointly issued by the general offices of the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security.