"It shows that this virus shows no signs for many, many days. People need to know that," said his son.

"The hospital said we could go in there to see him, and told us not to be frightened.

"We had to take off our clothes apart from our underwear, and wear two pairs of gloves, a gown and a mask with a rubber seal.

"I could only manage 15 minutes because I was crying so much. He still seemed OK by that point. He was still my handsome dad."

Last Friday, however, doctors told Mr Blakeley's family that they could do no more.

"I went back in to see him one last time," his son said.

"By now the coronavirus was taking over. I could hear the fluid building up in his lungs and his chest was rattling, and he was struggling to breathe.

"I just knelt down at his bedside and told him it was a lovely day outside. He told me he couldn’t wait to get out of the hospital. I told him a white lie and agreed.

"I thanked him for being such a great dad, and we had a little laugh together. It was horrendous.”

Mr Blakeley died in the isolation unit on March 13. Workers in hazmat suits put his body in a protective container and took it out of the hospital through cleared corridors. His family has since been told that his coffin must be sealed to stop the virus spreading.

"I find it so frustrating that people don’t take the coronavirus seriously," his son said. “When you hear about underlying health conditions, you assume the person was on the brink of death already.

"My dad led an active lifestyle. This virus just couldn't be stopped. There's no cure, and no option apart from trying to help the body to defeat it. If the patient is already weakened in some way, it's going to take over.”

Mr Blakely sang for over 50 years at his local church, St Michael’s in Middleton.

In a statement, a church spokesman said: "Darrell was a faithful man at St Michael's for over 50 years. He sang in the choir with a beautiful voice, described by so many as a gracious gentleman who is going to be sadly missed.

"I cannot stress enough the need to self-isolate if you believe you are at risk of infecting anyone else."