Among other shopworkers in the UK who have died from coronavirus are the following:
Newsagent Himanshu Patel tested positive for coronavirus and died in hospital on Wednesday, April 15.
Mr Patel, 51, ran Kay’s Newsagent in St Albans Road, Watford, Herts, for ten years. The father of twin boys was taken to hospital on Easter Monday but died just days later.
He was a member of the Federation of Independent Retailers’ London district and Watford branch, having signed up to the organisation when he joined the newsagents.
Watford president Raju Patel said on Wednesday: ‘It is desperately sad. I only spoke to him five days ago to see how he was getting on. He was such a lively, bubbly man.’
Krishnasamy Chiyamalan was the owner of Templeton News in in Dartford, and died at home on April 4 – just days after saying he felt better and planned to reopen.
Mother-of-three Undeg Lewis (above), 59, died after the disease took her in just 36 hours. The shop worker passed away in hospital after falling ill at home in the tiny Carmarthenshire village of Efailwen, which has a population of just 70
The 41-year-old leaves wife Gopika – who had been nursing him at home – and two children aged three and seven months.
His brother Thiviyan said Krishnasamy was ill for seven days before he died, during which he kept the store closed but had recently said he felt better.
Mr Chiyamalan moved to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2002 and lived in north London before making the move to Kent.
Mother-of-three Undeg Lewis, 59, died after the disease took her in just 36 hours. The shop worker passed away in hospital after falling ill at home in the tiny Carmarthenshire village of Efailwen, which has a population of just 70.
Her son Rhodri said his mother developed a cough which led to her feeling ‘drained’ and having breathing difficulties.
Another shopkeeper died at the same hospital where he had previously delivered supplies.
Meanwhile, Raj Aggarwal’s last Facebook post showed him dropping off a carload of tea, coffee and biscuits to NHS workers at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.
But just 13 days later, the father-of-two, 51, who ran two Spar shops and a coffee outlet with his brother Sanjiv, 50, lost his life.
On March 27 he posted on Facebook: ‘Next stop Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, dropping off Tea, Coffee and Biscuits for our frontline NHS staff who are doing an amazing job #strongertogether.’
And a fortnight ago, Adeola Onasanya also died from the condition after apparently running Deola Food Store in North Street, Milton Regis, near Sittingbourne, Kent.
Flowers were left outside the store while relatives paid tribute to the hardworking shop worker. In a Facebook message posted on behalf of Mr Onasanya’s cousin, Kola Ka Adesina, he says the virus is hitting home ‘closer and harder’.
It reads: ‘I am crying, shouting and bawling. I just lost my cousin Adeola Onasanya of Deola foods in Sittingbourne to this dreadful disease. Going to miss you Dee RIP.’