Three Meters And A Few Centimeters
Coronavirus poses challenge for Iranian burial traditions
In Iran, COVID-19 is creating a challenge to burial traditions. Fear of catching the virus has created a shortage in corpse-washers. It's down to volunteers to cleanse the bodies before burial.
'This is the first one today. We have many corpses. We have 27 corpses today', says the hearse driver. It's been a struggle to keep up with the rising number of COVID-19 deaths in Iran. Islamic tradition dictates that when someone dies, their body must be washed by hand in order to move on to the hereafter. However at the Paradise cemetery, coronavirus has scared off staff: 'There is a shortage of workers in the Paradise, so I came here as a volunteer dead-washer, because if I weren't here, there would be no female dead-washer'. One volunteer tells of social stigma: 'Some people do not greet us. They don't like to sit beside us, they tell us to sit away from them'.
FULL SYNOPSIS