Clothed in hazmat suits and carrying disinfectant sprayers, the young men transported the deceased to the cemetery, observed the Islamic prayers, and laid him to rest in the company of some health officials.
61-year-old Tarek Minkara, a resident of Kumasi was a spare parts dealer and a popular figure in Kumasi.
His death was announced by the Ghana Health Service as the first in connection with the fast-spreading disease.
Deputy Health Minister, Alex Abban communicated the unfortunate news in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.
Despite having Lebanese origin, Mr Minkara was born and lived all his life in Ghana with his nuclear family.
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Family rejects coronavirus claim
Although there have been direct linkages of the coronavirus to Mr Minkara’s death, a source close to the family told GhanaWeb that claims that he died of the deadly virus are false and should be disregarded.
According to the source, Tarek had been battling illness for the past three months and could not have died of the virus.
It listed pneumonia as one of the sicknesses that plagued Tarek and possibly led to his death.
Social media activity
Tarek’s last social media activity was on October 23, 2019.
He updated his profile photo with a picture of himself with the flag of Lebanon on his face.
Social media reactions
On Facebook, some friends and family paid tribute to the 61-year-old entrepreneur.
A post by one Facebook user described him as a ‘brother and one of a kind’.
Source: Ghanaweb.com