The body of the Pandanad native who died of COVID-19 on Friday was cremated in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol at the Chathanad gas crematorium here on Saturday.
Earlier, authorities decided to bury his body at the cemetery of his local church at Pandanad. The plan was abandoned after water was seen when digging the grave. “As per the COVID-19 protocol, the grave should be 12 feet deep. But at the cemetery, water was found at five feet. We informed this to his family members and the priest. With their consent, the body was cremated at a gas crematorium of the Alappuzha municipality,” said an official.
The 38-year-old man had come from Abu Dhabi on May 27. According to officials, the person developed haematemesis on Friday morning while at a COVID-19 care centre. He was immediately transferred to the Government Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha, and died there in the afternoon. The deceased was suffering from chronic liver disease. He was tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 posthumously.
Meanwhile, one more person tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. The patient, a young man, hailing from Cherthala taluk, came from Rome in Italy on May 22. He was in institutional quarantine at a covid care centre after reaching the district.
