Lino Abel, whose father died while he was in the isolation ward of Kottayam Medical College, has been tested negative for coronavirus. Lino’s brother Lijo put up a post on social media, saying, “The result is negative. Thanks for all the loving wishes.”
But then Lino may not perhaps be all that cheerful about the result.
Lino had put a Facebook post on March 12, while still in the isolation ward, about how he took leave from his job in Qatar and came to Kerala to see his father, who had a fall and was admitted in hospital. Lino, however, missed seeing his father one last time before his death as he was in isolation.
Lino was wary of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 and even though his temperature was normal at the Kochi airport, he still worried about his condition and maintained distance from everyone. At the Kottayam Medical College, where his father was admitted, Lino met his brother but not his old man, for fear of passing on the disease, in case he was infected.
After some thought, he decided to report himself at the same hospital when he began coughing and developed a throat irritation. Lino was then admitted at the isolation ward. However, on the same night, his father passed away.
“I could only cry,” he wrote in his touching post. He watched from the window of his room the ambulance that carried the body of his father home. On a video call later, Lino saw his father’s body one last time before the funeral.
He had ended the post saying he expected a negative result but that he might be sadder if it was indeed negative.
Lino’s unfortunate experience was mentioned by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a press meet the following day. His story got shared widely and Lino’s brave decision won a lot of appreciation.
Despite the angst he had to go through, Lino had advised other Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to report themselves for the sake of their families and the people around them. “Isolation ward is not a concentration camp,” he added.
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