JOIN USGujarat reports 5th COVID-19 death, 3rd in Ahmedabad; locals protest burials close to their homes
Gujarat reported its fifth COVID-19 death as a 47-year-old patient who had tested positive for coronavirus passed away at civil hospital in Ahmedabad. Officials said that the patient, said to be a labourer, was admitted to the hospital on March 27 after complaints of fever, common cold and breathlessness. Sources in the hospital said that he was a diabetic for the past 15 years.
With this, the number of coronavirus deaths in Gujarat has touched five, second highest after Maharashtra which has reported six deaths. Till Saturday night, number of positive cases in the state stood at 55.
Meanwhile, a 46-year-old woman, who died on Saturday due to coronavirus, was buried amid protest in her locality. She was first taken to a graveyard near her house in Astodia where a large number of people came out of their homes protesting the burial there, fearing the spread of coronavirus.
The protest forced the authorities to take her to municipal corporation-run graveyard at Gunj Shahid in Danilimbda. When the dead body was brought here, the local who live close to the graveyard started protesting fearing the spread of virus. It was only after the police were brought in that the burial could be performed.
Officials said that an earth mover dug up a 10-foot deep pit where she was buried as per the guidelines prescribed under “COVID-19 dead body management.”
The burial was performed by officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation wearing surgical mask and gloves and caretakers of the graveyard. Sources said that no religious rituals could be performed to avoid body fluids that spreads the virus.
This was the second burial of a COVID-19 patient at this graveyard. Earlier, an 85-year-old woman was also buried here. The third patient from Ahmedabad who died today is also likely to be buried here later in the day.