The body of a doctor, who succumbed to COVID-19 in a private hospital at Vanagaram in Chennai, was taken back to the mortuary on Monday evening after some residents protested against the cremation, fearing the spread of the virus.
The 55-year-old orthopaedist, a native of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, was admitted to the hospital about a week ago after he tested positive for COVID-19. He was declared dead at 3 a.m. on Monday.
When health workers clad in personal protection equipment brought his body to the Chennai Corporation crematorium at Ambattur, some locals objected to the cremation, police sources said.
Even after a police team reached the spot and explained to the protesters that the cremation would not trigger a spread of the novel coronavirus, they refused to budge. For hours, the body remained in the vehicle as health and police officials tried to persuade the locals to allow the cremation. “They (the local people) could not be convinced that there was no scientific evidence to prove that coronavirus would spread during or after the cremation of the body,” a senior police officer told The Hindu .
Senior police, Corporation and Health department officials are working out a strategy to cremate the body as early as possible. “In deaths caused due to coronavirus, the bodies will not be handed over to the family though they can be present at the crematorium. Some guidelines have been issued by the Chief Secretary in this regard and a decision on disposing of the body will be taken soon,” the official said.
Health Secretary Beela Rajesh attributed the confusion to a “communication gap” and said that detailed guidelines on the disposal of bodies had been circulated to all hospitals. Steps would be taken to ensure that such incidents did not recur, she said, adding that since the doctor had tested positive for COVID-19 in Andhra Pradesh, the death would be added to the number of fatalities in that State.
Health workers disinfected the Ambattur crematorium premises after the body was removed. No case was registered in connection with the incident, police sources added.
When reports last came in, the authorities had taken a decision to cremate the body early on Tuesday.
