It took nearly six hours for an ambulance to arrive and take away the body of a man after he collapsed and died at a chemist shop on Tuesday. Reportedly, the man had breathing difficulties and had visited the medical shop at Bhagalpur in Bihar to purchase medicines. The man fell at the entrance of the medical store situated in a crowded marketplace as he was leaving after finishing his purchase. 

Shortly after, a crowd had gathered at the spot, but not one person had stepped forward to check if the man was alive or went close to the body over fears of getting infected by coronavirus. After the police arrived, a senior police requested for an ambulance to come to the shop, which is located on a narrow lane in the busy marketplace. However, the driver allegedly drove away upon witnessing the body lying in front of the store. 

Up until now, it is unknown whether the man died due to coronavirus. The medical shop owner said the man fell immediately after he made his purchase for his breathing problems. He added that the man before his death used an inhaler and sat down, but then fell down. The shop owner is said to have tried to revive him back to consciousness by sprinkling water, but there was no response. He stated he barely managed any help despite contacting every agency or authority associated with the COVID-19 emergency response. There were no signs of help until 4:30PM in the late afternoon after which an ambulance arrived with workers in PPE suits who covered the body in a black plastic sheet and took it away on a stretcher. 

Bihar government had announced a 16-day lockdown, which has been initiated as on Thursday in order to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has so far claimed over 180 lives in the state. The state has so far recorded 20,612 cases with 13,462 recoveries.