More than a quarter of a million people have died from COVID-19 since the disease emerged in China only a couple months ago. The saddest part about the entire pandemic is that most people who have passed away in hospitals have had to do so alone. Family members are barred from visiting the COVID units for their own safety, which means they don't get a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones.
As the pandemic continues to grow, some hospitals are considering changing that policy.
“I was so happy we had the privilege to say goodbye,” Rinat Vita Dishlo told NBC News.
The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medican Center in Israel allowed Dishlo and her siblings to say goodbye to their 74-year-old mother before she passed. They sat with her and held her hands while she went in and out of a coma.
“I talked to her and she opened her eyes,” Dishlo said. “I reached out my hand to her and she squeezed it back.”
In Spain, one of Europe's hardest-hit countries, a makeshift hospital has been set up at Madrid's IFEMA conference center, and is also one of the first to allow end-of-life visits. There are eight private rooms for families to say their goodbyes.
This is one of the most effective ways in allowing a family to start their griving process properly.