“Lonely farewell” to 2 COVID-19 victims in Telangana as kin are in quarantine

(Eds: Fixes typo in para 7)

Hyderabad, Mar 31 (PTI) It turned to be a double tragedy for the families of two COVID-19 fatal victims in Telangana as the near and dear could not attend the last rites with many of them under quarantine and some stranded abroad.

In the case of 74-year old man who became the first COVID-19 fatality in the state, only one relative was able to attend his last rites while the funeral of a 64-year old man also saw thin attendance with his kin under isolation.

Both the men had attended the Tabligh-e-Jamaat congregation in Delhi in mid-March.

The first COVID-19 patient in the state was tested positive for it after his death on March 26.

The man's funeral was held on Saturday with officials following the protocol for coronavirus fatalities which among others restricts number of those attending last rites.

"It is heart wrenching to see a person departing without his close family members and relatives being present during the last rites. Those who wanted to attend the funeral services also are not attending due to fear complex," a Muslim scholar said.

The three sons of the deceased could not attend the funeral as two of them were not in the country and the third was in quarantine, a family member said adding the victim's brother attended the last rites.

The immediate family members, including the son, of the other deceased had been quarantined after his demise and only a few of his relatives were present at his funeral.

Mecca Masjid Superintendent Abdul Qadeer Siddiqui told PTI that though last rites should be performed with funeral prayers, special circumstances can exempt it and the same can be done in-absentia.

As part of social distancing in view of ongoing lockdown, already the number of persons attending funerals had been capped at 20 in the over 880 crematoriums and burial grounds in the city, a senior official of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had earlier said.

A guideline from the World Health organisation earlier this month has said there was no evidence of persons having become infected from exposure to the bodies of persons who died from COVID-19.

"The dignity of the dead, their cultural and religious traditions, and their families should be respected and protected throughout. Hasty disposal of a dead from COVID-19 should be avoided," it said.

A government release on Monday night said six people from the state who attended the religious congregation in Delhi between March 13 and 15 died due to coronavirus.

The deaths were reported during the last six days.

Two of the six died in Gandhi Hospital and one each in two different private hospitals here and one each in Nizamabad and Gadwal towns, the release had said.