In Mexico City two men were arrested at a secret center for illegal embalming, totally disregarding any form of sanitation and proper disposal of medical waste.
In Tecámac, a village just north of Mexico City, authorities are investigating an illegal embalming practice. The surge of deaths due to coronavirus have overwhelmed funeral parlors in the city and caused people to look beyond the typical establishments for funeral services. A funeral worker noticed this increase in demand and decided to take advantage of the situation and provide his own illegal embalming services.
Illegal Embalming Services
The illegal embalming services were being operated in private residence with no regard for hygiene or the sanctity of the body.
The two men arrested for the illegal embalming services did not take the slightest hygienic measures or permits into consideration according to Mariela Guttierrez, Mayor of Tecámac.
One of the bodies found in the house, where the services were provided, was a municipal employee who died because of the coronavirus. Guitierrez called the discovery: “an extremely serious risk of contagion, and a terrible disregard for sanitary norms.” The Mayor also said that when the perpetrators were discovered the men attempted to bribe police officers so they would not be caught. Adding to the crimes they commited.
One of the main elements of the current investigation is what did the illegal embalmers do with the contaminated medical waste and how did they dispose of it.
Mexico City has been battling infectious waste disposal ever since the coronavirus came to the country. Medical waste was being illegally dumped in the forest and stored in warehouses as hospitals and funeral service providers couldn’t handle the influx of deaths.