The family members of a 69-year-old woman, who passed away in Punjab's Ludhiana due to COVID-19 infection, reportedly refused to accept her body and cremate it fearing infection, leading the district administration to perform her last rites.

"Her son refused to perform the last rights despite authorities seeking to give him the requisite protective gears and assuring him that it would shield him against the infection," an official reportedly stated. The woman was admitted to a private hospital on March 31 after testing positive for coronavirus and passed away on Sunday. "It was a big shock for everybody when relatives including, son of the deceased, did not come to claim her body. The body was later claimed by the district administration," the official further added. They later performed the last rites of the woman, which was watched by her family members from a distance of 100 metres.

As of April 7 afternoon, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in India has crossed 4840. Tamil Nadu has reported 621 cases so far.