A tribal body in Meghalaya has disallowed the burial of a 69-year-old doctor who died of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wednesday after another refused his cremation fearing the virus would spread from him.
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The doctor had died at 2:45 am in the hospital he owned in Shillong, less than 48 hours he was found to be COVID-19 positive.
The State government had in the afternoon started the formalities to cremate the body according to the guidelines of the Centre and the World Health Organisation.
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But a committee of people of the locality objected to it arguing they did not have proper infrastructure for the cremation of a COVID-19 victim. They also said the workers at the crematorium were not skilled and did not have personal protective equipment to prevent the virus from spreading to people in the locality.
“We are trying to negotiate and find a way out,” M.W. Nongbri, Deputy Commisioner of East Khasi Hills said.
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If that were not enough, the local traditional tribal body at Nongpoh also decided not to allow the mortal remains of the doctor for a similar reason.
Officials said the doctor’s ashes would have been placed in a coffin for burial at his farmhouse in Nongpoh, a town halfway between Shillong and Guwahati.
The Office of the Headman Nongpoh Proper adopted a resolution not to allow the burial.
Health Minister Alexander L. Hek admitted the last rites of the doctor had run into rough weather. “We are trying to resolve the issue at both places,” he said.
