9 of family test COVID-19 positive after death of infected kin
According to the official, after the victim's body washanded over to the family members, they had performed ritualson it after removing the plastic sheets wrapped around it,against the instructions of the medical authorities.
"A 50-year-old member of this family died on May 8. Hetested positive for the infection a day later" spokesperson ofUlhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) Yuvraj Badhane said.
"The victim's family members gave an undertaking tothe hospital that they will strictly follow all the guidelinesduring the cremation. The body, which was wrapped in plasticsheets, was handed over to them. They were asked not touncover it," he said.
However, after they took the body home, the familymembers removed the plastic sheets and conducted death-relatedrituals on the body, including giving a bath, Badhane said.
"Later, around 70 people attended his funeral," hesaid.
When the civic authorities came to know about it, theytraced those who had attended the funeral.
"A test was conducted on all of them. Nine familymembers of the deceased tested COVID-19 positive on Friday.They have been isolated and being treated," the official said.
The civic officials said that the rest of the contactshave been quarantined.
"As the family members and others acted against theinstructions and flouted the rules, the process to register acase against them is on," a civic official said.
So far, 89 people, including 10 from this family, havetested COVID-19 positive in Ulhasnagar, where the death tolldue to the infection till now is four, officials said. CORNP NP