A heartbreaking photo showing an elderly husband touching his isolated wife's hand through the nursing home window that separates them has recently gone viral, putting a tragic spotlight on the real-life effects of coronavirus lock-downs.
As KSAT reported, the Floresville, Texas couple is currently only able to see each other through a pane of glass after the nursing home closed its doors to visitors in an effort to keep its residents safe from COVID-19.
But those visits were suddenly cut off last week when the nursing home banned non-residents and non-staff from entering the premises do to coronavirus concerns.
The couple, who are both in their 90s, were understandably heartbroken. But Jimmy wasn't going to stop showing up just because he couldn't get inside the building.
Their daughter, Priscilla Sekula, posted the above photo online and wrote,
"This is sad my mom is in the nursing home rehab for a femur fracture and this is how my dad and her get to spend time together! They are in their 90’s and can’t hold hands."
The photo has since been taken down.
Although people of all ages can be infected with the disease, the CDC said older citizens and people with pre-existing medical conditions are more vulnerable to the virus and more likely to become seriously ill.
As of writing, 112 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S. alone, and most of them were 60 years old or older.
As she explained, this was apparently done in an effort to protect the privacy of other patients, as news cameras had shown up to get footage of the separated couple following her earlier viral photo.
"The nurse closed the blinds because the news people are at the front door," Priscilla wrote online. "He hasn’t talk to her all day and this is what the nurse did."
h/t: KSAT
