Patna: Weddings in the time of COVID-19 have proved dangerous as they have helped spread the virus. Now, a just-wed groom has succumbed to coronavirus.
In Gopalganj district, a newly-wed man died from COVID-19 within a fortnight of getting married.
According to family members, the wedding of school teacher Durgesh Pandey was solemnized on April 28 but he fell sick soon after returning home after the wedding. He was suffering from high fever.
He was rushed to a local hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19. He was prescribed medicines and advised to rest by the private doctor but as his condition kept deteriorating by the day, he was admitted to a hospital in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh town on May 5. He died on May 15 due to severe coronavirus complications. His wife Priyanka Mishra had not even properly seen her husband before she became a widow.
Local health officials said the groom might have come in contacts with several persons during the wedding and hence, there were maximum chances of him spreading the virus to many guests. They have suggested all those attending the wedding to undergo tests.
COVID-19 positive
In another incident, a man’s wish to solemnize the wedding of his son with much fanfare has left one dead and infected 20 members of his family so far. The wedding took place at Dighi Bazar locality in the district in the April end.
Reports said the infection spread after the groom’s brother-in-law attended the wedding despite being COVID-19 positive. The virus has now claimed the life of the groom’s father while several members of the family have been found infected. The fact came after a team of the health department reached the village and conducted tests of family members during which 20 persons tested positive.
Earlier this month, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had appealed to the villagers to postpone weddings till the situation gets normal. The chief minister had said organising wedding functions at this time could spread coronavirus which could prove disastrous both to them and the state but many villagers have continued with the wedding schedules, ignoring the appeals.
Last year, more than a 100 persons who attended the wedding of a software engineer in Paliganj block of Patna had tested positive. While the guest recovered, the groom died the very next day after his wedding.
