Burial of the 54-year-old man who died after testing positive for COVID-19 was completed at 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
The funeral ceremony was attended only by four family members and four police personnel.
District Collector T.G. Vinay said that the family was directed to ensure that the funeral was completed in the early hours of the day, so that crowds could be avoided. “The patient was fairly popular in his community and was well known. The funeral had to be completed early on to ensure that we take adequate safety precautions,” he said.
The Collector added that the body was wrapped three times and taken within minutes after Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar tweeted about his death at around 2 a.m., to the burial ground in Melamadai.
Sources, however, said that the actual burial took place only at 3.30 a.m., as arrangements for digging the burial spot took an hour. The burial was completed at 4.30 a.m., and no family members were allowed to touch the body. Those handling the shifting of the body were provided personal protection equipment kits, consisting full body suits, to avoid transmission, the Collector said.
Basheer Ahmed, who belonged to the same Jamaat as the patient, said that as per their customs, the dead body is washed, perfumed and buried six ft underground.
“Everyone from the Jamaat pays their respects. In these extraordinary times, most people from our Jamaat have been asked to be quarantined at their homes. It is sad,” he said.
The patient was admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital on Saturday after consultation at a private clinic and a private hospital. The patient’s condition had deteriorated from Sunday night, said doctors.
