A husband mourned the death of his wife of 50 years alone as she died of coronavirus.
70-year-old Maureen Preedy and her husband Barry contracted coronavirus and were in isolation in a hotel room in Perth before Maureen died at Royal Perth Hospital.
On Monday, Maureen’s life support was switched off and she died of the deadly virus while Barry was not allowed to be by his wife’s side.
He stayed in his hotel room and mourned the death of his wife alone.
The couple’s daughter Simone told 7News that the family is left devastated after their mother’s death and they are upset that Barry was not allowed to be with her.
Simone said her father has already been diagnosed with coronavirus and she doesn’t understand why the hospital staff didn’t allow him to say goodbye to her mother.
Simone told 7News: “He was already positive to COVID-19. Allowing him on the ward would be no risk to him — he already has it. He would’ve done anything to be there with my mum … anything they asked.”
Simone described her mother as a woman with a heart of gold who meant the world to everyone.
Health Minister Roger Cook later told that Barry was not allowed to be by his wife’s side at the time of her death because the hospital staff didn’t want to spread the virus.
He said: “These are difficult decisions, but I’m not here to second guess the decisions of our frontline workers.”
In March, Maureen Preedy and her husband Barry went on a cruise on the Costa Victoria liner near Italy.
After they flew back home, they were tested positive for coronavirus.
On Monday, Maureen died after fighting for her life for over a week while Barry is recovering well.
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