Preventive Healthcare System and Religious Rites of Burial During Pandemic: A Comparison between Jewish and Islamic Rituals

Many funeral guidance and regulations were imposed during Covid-19 restriction movement to control the risk of Corona spreading, such as maintaining the social distance and in/outdoor safe gathering. Due to the high risk of the contagion, some religious rites were avoided like the gathering of many comforters, take the farewell look at the deceased and almost cancelling the decrees of religious burying and grief, which are spiritual potion for those who lost their loved ones. Since both Judaism and Islam forbid cremation, the burial rites should be strictly monitored and the decision of holding a modified mourning tributes for the deceased must be taken cautiously and in cooperation with the competent medical authority. But how does the new funeral regulation coincide with religious values? And how Jewish and Islamic traditions about washing the infected deceased’s body, burial shroud, coffin, cemetery, initial mourning period and other customs could be preventive healthcare instructions? This article is attempting to answer these questions in the light of the Biblical and Quranic teachings.