A Maltese man who lost his father to the COVID-19 coronavirus has told Times of Malta he was left shocked at how fast things moved between his father entering hospital and being buried.

Unable to comfort their father or say goodbye for the last time as he was isolated, they were further hurt when they realised they couldn’t hold a funeral for him either as their family had to stay under quarantine due to his death.

“When my father was admitted to hospital due to respiratory problems, it never crossed my mind it would be the last time I would see him,” the man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Times of Malta.

“My father’s burial took place less than six hours after his death.”

His father, an 84-year-old man who had been diagnosed with the virus on Friday among 20 others, was the third person to die in Malta as a result of the coronavirus.

His 60-year-old son recounted receiving the phone call from Mater Dei hospital telling him his father had passed away before any of his family could say goodbye and speak to their father for the last time.

The son is still in shock at how quickly his father’s condition deteriorated in hospital – he had been bedridden and living at home with his wife until he was admitted..

When he was buried hours after his death, the only person present at the funeral was a priest – the victim’s family was under quarantine.

Not only did he die “alone, in isolation” but he was buried in nearly the same way.

“Our biggest regret is that he could not count on our support during his final hours as he died alone in complete isolation. This is the cruellest aspect of this virus,” the son said.

He ended with an appeal to the public to stay home and listen to authorities’ orders to protect the country before more families had to go through what his is.

“This is not only about protecting yourself, but ensuring you do not expose the most vulnerable in society who might ultimately pay with their life. It pains me seeing people going to the beach while others are dying miserably, possibly as a result of such negligence,” he ended.

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