CHENNAI: The 60-year-old COVID 19 patient who died in Chennai on Sunday was buried in the absence of his near and dear ones since all of them are quarantined in hospital.
Though cremation is the most suggested method, Corporation officials said the head of Masjid did not give the permission for the same. “We requested them to cremate but they did not agree. So we had to bury the body,’’ said a Corporation official.
The Old Washermenpet resident, who was tested positive on April 1, was buried in a minimalistic way in a Masjid funeral ground near Cemetery Road in North Chennai, with just a few Chennai Corporation and Stanley Hospital staff, all covered in layers of lab coats.
“We had dug a grave for about 6 feet and the head of the Masjid, where the patient used to go, took part in the funeral which was at 4 pm. All of them were given masks, lab coats and safety equipment,’’ said a Corporation staff.
Once the civic body made all the arrangements, the body was brought to the burial ground at the Mottai Thottam Masjid.
Corporation officials said six of his family members are under observation and the person who died was the head of the family. The patient was associated with the Tablighi Jamaat conference in New Delhi and he died in the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital on Sunday.
Apart from the Masjid head, the civic body did not allow any members at the funeral due to social distancing norms.