A Britain-born mother and her husband have reportedly been separated from their 11-month-old daughter in Hong Kong while she’s in the hospital with the coronavirus.
Laura, 32, and her husband, Nick, took their daughter Ava to the Queen Mary Hospital on Monday when she developed symptoms including difficulty breathing, a cough and a fever.
Upon testing positive for COVID-19, Ava was moved to the intensive care unit, but her parents said they were forced to stay behind due to strict rules that separate positive and negative family members.
“I was begging, crying, hysterical and screaming,” Laura told the South China Morning Post. “I had a bit of a breakdown. This is so inhumane. I cannot leave her. She is 11 months old. I’ve never left her. It’s so traumatic for us.”
Parents Laura and Nick shared their story on multiple news outlets, where they showed recordings of their FaceTime calls with their 11-month-old, Ava. via CNNLaura and Nick now communicate with their young child through video calls as Ava stays in the hospital for at least a week, or until a negative test result.
The couple also shared their heartbreaking story on CNN, showing recordings of their FaceTime calls. One clip in particular features baby Ava crying into the phone as her parents choke back tears as they try to reassure her.
“Nurse, just give her some comfort, please,” Nick pleaded to a nurse, who appeared to be wearing a face shield and a hazmat suit.
Doctors reportedly denied Laura and Nick’s requests to stay in the hospital because they had been in “close contact” with a COVID-19 patient. But a spokesperson told CNN that since the parents had not tested positive, it was “not advisable” for them to be near people with the virus.
“The hospital understands the stress of the parents for not being able to accompany their child, therefore [a] video call would be arranged up to three times a day,” the spokesperson told CNN.
The couple was in distress, not knowing what was happening to their beloved daughter and seeing her sob on FaceTime. Family HandoutWhile the hospital was also at capacity, Laura insisted she wasn’t asking for a place to stay — she just wanted to be near her daughter.
“We’re not asking for a spare bed at the hospital,” she said. “I would stand next to her bed. I will sit on a chair next to her for the remaining five days.”
The Hospital Authority told the South China Morning Post that staff would attempt to keep a parent and COVID-positive child together if the situation allowed but, with a lack of beds, the situation is grim.
“The hospital hopes the patients’ family members can understand the limitations of the arrangements and the space constraint under the current epidemic situation,” they said in a statement. “The clinical team is trying their best to reserve as many beds as possible for the needy children.”
However, on Tuesday morning, Laura and Nick received good news: Ava was in stable condition.
The family’s story, which has gone viral online, is a heartbreaking reality for many families whose children test positive for the virus.
In the last two weeks, three children have died in Hong Kong after contracting COVID-19, including an 11-month-old girl, according to the South China Morning Post.
The parents shared heartbreaking video of their phone calls with Ava. via CNNThe city’s policy is that any COVID-19 patient can be sent home only if they receive a negative test seven days after testing positive.
For Nick and Laura, that means another four days of separation from their daughter.
But if either or both of the parents contract the virus, the family could be reunited in a government-run quarantine facility under Hong Kong’s requirement of hospitalization or transfer of patients to isolation centers.
On Thursday, there were 8,798 confirmed new cases in the city alone, bringing the cumulative tally to 84,046.
Officials are working to curb the virus instead of just living with it. On Tuesday, the city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, announced that Hong Kong’s nearly 7.5 million residents must undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing three times next month. Meanwhile, bars, gyms and other businesses are closed, restaurants have a closing curfew of 6 p.m. and social gatherings are capped at just two people.
Vaccine requirements to enter public spaces and enforcement of mask-wearing, even for outdoor exercise, begin Thursday. The new rules are implemented as Lam announced that schools would break early for the summer.
Hong Kong’s COVID-19 guidelines are a stark contrast to those of the United States, as mask mandates ease up and restrictions reverse.
On Feb. 10, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted business mask mandates in the state. Beginning next week in Chicago, indoor mask mandates and vaccination requirements will be lifted for businesses like gyms, restaurants and bars.
