Almost 85 km away from Vadodara, a pall of gloom has descended over a family after its eldest member succumbed to COVID-19 and none of them could bid him a final adieu. The 78-year-old man, a native of Godhra, was admitted at a private hospital in Vadodara, where he had tested positive for the virus and died on late Thursday. At 1:30 am, he was given a quiet burial in the presence of three of his distant relatives, two police personnel and two medical staff members of the private hospital he was admitted in. The medical staff members wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits read out the prayers. His body wrapped in three layers of protective coating, following the COVID-19 dead body management guidelines was lowered into a 15 feet deep pit, disinfected with sodium hypochlorite solution. Meanwhile, residents of the nearby residential colonies came out opposing the decision to bury a COVID-19 patient. The 78-year-old man, who was suffering from kidney ailments, was referred to the Vadodara hospital on Tuesday after he was diagnosed with pneumonitis and he had complained of severe breathlessness. He was accompanied by his son and grandson. On Wednesday evening, he had tested positive for COVID-19. After he was put under isolation following the test reports, his son and grandson had returned to Godhra. His family and the entire locality have been placed under home quarantine. The three relatives, who attended the burial do not live in his locality and have not been quarantined. "He was a jovial and healthy man. He had started falling ill only a month ago. We do not know how he contracted the infection. We had come back home to inform our family and go back with some essential items to stay in Vadodara. But immediately after we returned on Wednesday we were home quarantined. We do not even have any reports of his. When I contacted the hospital they told us that we can collect everything after the lockdown is over,” his 32-year-old grandson told The Indian Express. The residents of the colonies located around the Muslim Qabrastan on the Bahuchraji road alleged that it was "violation" of the Epidemic Act and they did not dig a deep pit. Mehul Patni, a resident whose house is separated by a wall from the burial ground said, "The government should make it a mandatory rule to consign all bodies of people who died due to COVID-19 to flames. It is a new virus and they cannot bury bodies that can cause infection as they decompose." Dr Devesh Patel, Health Officer of the VMC, however, said that there is no chance of any infection because of burials. "We are following the protocols for all disposals and last rituals. All deceased will be laid to rest as per their respective religious beliefs. Even in case of H1N1 we have buried bodies of those whose religious obligations required so. The protocol is that the body is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite and then wrapped in plastic and buried in a 15-feet-deep pit. The PPE suits given to the family members attending the burials or cremations are also buried or consigned to flames along with the bodies," he said.
