KASUR: The familiesas well as relatives of two patients could not attend their funeral and perform other rituals for being suspected carriers of Covid-19.

The deceased were later tested negative.

The local health authorities and administration forced the families to follow the SOPs on Wednesday.

People decried showing disrespect to the bodies due to the inefficiency of the administration and hurried burial (without waiting for the reports that came few hours later).

Three deaths in a day, two of them within half a kilometer, spread panic and the families of the deceased also avoided other rituals.

Attiqur Rehman, 55, of Kot Usman Khan locality, Tanvir Ahmed, 50, of Bhatta Sohandin locality and Muhammad Aslam of Khudian died at the DHQ Hospital on Wednesday. Rehman was brought to the hospital with asthma and temperature while Ahmed was rushed to the health facility with high blood pressure.

They were later shifted to corona isolation ward where already some people were quarantined for treatment.

The officials took samples of three suspected patients and Aslam was tested positive while the results of Rehman and Ahmed were being awaited. After their death, the health authorities and local administration did not allow the families to take the bodies home and perform rituals including bath and funeral procession.

The bodies were taken to the graveyard from hospital and buried in the presence of administration officials and few relatives.

When people learnt about their death due to coronavirus, the residents of the localities as well as kith and kin avoided visiting the families for condolence.

According to Muhammad Javid of Kot Usman Khan, no one from the locality visited the house of Rehman to condole.

Health Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammad Mubashar said the bodies of the suspects were buried with SOPs as it was not possible to keep the bodies in the morgue for days.

He said there was workload on the laboratory and there were chances that the reports could take days.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2020