A 35-year-old man has died of suspected coronavirus.

Mushfiq Ahmed Chowdury, who lived in Coxheath, near Maidstone, was a delivery driver for Uber Eats and delivered from branches of KFC and McDonald's in Maidstone.

Mr Chowdhury lived with his sister in Elmfield Court, in Heath Road, which is above the Coxheath Spice Indian takeaway. He was taken to hospital earlier this week.

He was known to Coxheath Spice owner Ruhul Boksh.

Mr Boksh said: "He was a lovely man and we used to see him at the back of the building. He didn't work for us, but we knew him because he lived directly above us.

"He worked at the Spice Lounge restaurant in the village many years ago and he was very hard working and would often do 12-13 hour days.

"I think a lot of people in Maidstone and around the village knew him."

Responding to the news of Mr Chowdhury's death, Maidstone and The Weald MP Helen Grant said: "I am deeply sorry to learn about the death of a man from Coxheath after he contracted Coronavirus.

"My thoughts and prayers are, of course, with his family, friends and neighbours at this extraordinarily difficult time.

"Each death sadly brings home the seriousness of this virus. It is more important than ever that we all heed the government’s instructions by staying at home to protect our local NHS who are doing such an amazing job looking after the sickest people in our community in extremely challenging circumstances."

Mr Boksh has been providing support to Mr Chowdhury's sister and is helping with funeral arrangements.

He added: "It was very upsetting, as his sister told me he had been feeling ill. I knew he had bad asthma."

His family believe Mr Chowdhury's death is linked to Covid-19.

Mr Boksh took the decision to close his takeaway, saying he wanted to do 'the responsible thing' and act in a safe way.

A message posted on the restaurant's Facebook page reads: "Here at Coxheath Spice, our top priority is the safety and security of our customers.

"Due to the unforeseen circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have decided that we will be closed until further notice."

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