A Heathrow immigration officer and his daughter have died from coronavirus 24 hours apart.
Terminal 3 worker Sudhir Sharma, 61, passed away on Wednesday and pharmacist Pooja, 33, the following day.
Officials do not believe Sudhir contracted Covid-19 on duty as he last worked on January 7, making it more likely he picked up the virus elsewhere.
But a source said: “It’s an absolute tragedy. He was a lovely, lovely man. Every immigration officer is talking about it.
“There are concerns about his widow being unable to attend the funeral because of the isolation issues. It’s just so awful.”
Sudhir, from Hounslow in West London, is thought to have had underlying health problems in recent years, forcing him to miss periods at work.
But pals said he had recently returned to his frontline role, TheSun reports.
Pooja, who worked at Eastbourne District General Hospital in East Sussex, is believed to have spent three days receiving medical care before the virus claimed her life.
It was not clear last night if the father and daughter had been in close contact with each other before their deaths.
Nick Jariwalla, director of Border Force at Heathrow, last night said: “Sudhir was a very well-respected, kind and experienced officer. He will be greatly missed by everyone.”
A friend of Pooja posted: “Really sorry to hear that one of our fellow pharmacists and a friend of mine since university, Pooja, and her father have passed away.
“May their souls rest in peace. Sending my heartiest condolences, prayers and love to their family.”
They added: “Please, please, please inform family and friends to take this very seriously and to self-isolate, socially distance themselves as much as possible, for their families if not for themselves.”
