Britain's first known child victim of COVID-19 has been buried without his immediate family present.
The coffin carrying the body of 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab was lowered into the ground by four people wearing protective clothing, gloves and face masks at a cemetery in south-east London today.
None of his immediate family members were able to attend after two of his six siblings began displaying symptoms of coronavirus.This meant the family had no choice but to self isolate.
The ceremony at the Eternal Gardens, a dedicated Muslim burial ground in Kemnal Park, Chislehurst, was held on Friday afternoon, led by Shaykh Sharif Zain.
A small crowd of mourners stood apart from each other in prayer, as they observed social distancing guidelines.
Ismail, from Brixton, south London, died alone in hospital in the early hours of Monday.
He tested positive for Covid-19 last Friday, a day after he was admitted to King’s College Hospital. He died on Monday at 3am when his lungs failed and he had a cardiac arrest.
He had no apparent pre-existing health conditions.
His younger brother and older sister have developed mild symptoms including a fever and loss of taste, family friend Mark Stephenson said.
Ismail’s mother and siblings had been “devastated” at not being able to go to the funeral while they self-isolate, he added.
The family had hoped to follow the burial on a livestream but had been unable to, so Mr Stephenson called them before and after to keep them updated.
He said some other relatives were present.
Mr Stephenson told mourners: “His death at a young age to the coronavirus is no doubt devastating for the family.
“And while only a handful of people are here to offer the funeral prayer, we are comforted in the knowledge that being the youngest person to die of the coronavirus also means that prayers and supplications of thousands of people, not just in the UK but around the world, are also being offered for Ismail and his family.”
A total of 3,605 people have now died in the UK as a result of coronavirus.
This represents an increase of 684 people compared to Thursday’s figures.
