As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt, disrupt and tear apart lives globally, families have had to practice being separated from one another in order to help stop the spread of the virus. This separation tactic is very hard on elderly parents, who are more susceptible​ to getting infected, and their children. While a few elderly couples have to be split apart, some of them have had the opportunity to stay together.

This is the situation Italian couple Severa Belotti, 82, and Luigi Carrara, 86 were in while their entire country, one of the worst places to be affected by coronavirus, was on lockdown. They were used to being together for long periods of time as they had already spent 60 years married to each other. However they had no idea that they weren't going to be able to make it to their 61st wedding anniversary.

Both, Severa and Luigi had contracted COVID-19 and after eight days of isolation at their home in Albino, a northern Italian province of Bergamo, they were finally taken to a hospital, according to The Daily Mail. Once there, the elderly couple passed away within two hours of each other.

While one can only hope they were once again reunited in the afterlife, while they were alive, they were completely isolated, with no family around to say their final goodbyes.

Image source: Facebook

Luca Carrara, the couple's son spoke to the local newspaper,  Corriere della Sera, about his pain at their passing. He revealed that his father, Luigi, a retired bricklayer and mother, Severa, a housewife, were admitted to Bergamo hospital with his father arriving first and his mom being admitted the very next day. They had reportedly spent those eight days in isolation struggling without any medical assistance. Of course, once they were at the facility, they were given help but by then, it was too late.

However, as painful as it was knowing the suffering his parents had to go through, Luca told the newspaper that he was angry after their death. The reason was that neither he nor his sister were able to say their final goodbyes to their parents. "They died alone, that's how this virus works," he explained.

"Your loved ones are left alone and you can't even say goodbye, hug them, try to give them some comfort. [You can't even tell them] a good lie like 'everything will be fine'."

There was nothing that could be done to change that fact so the heartbroken son took to Facebook to share a tribute and last message to his beloved parents. “Hello, Mom and Dad, this evil virus has taken you both the same day, will you continue arguing up there?” he wrote. “Surely, but then you will end with a hug.”

Luca also mentioned to the newspaper that while he had tried to call the emergency number in Italy, 118, and got no response, he acknowledged that it wasn't their fault. "Let me be clear, I don't have [issues] with 118, I understand them and indeed I just have to thank them because they tried to save them."

In his Facebook post, the grief-stricken son also painted a grim picture of the situation at the time that he lost his parents and how difficult it was to cope. "My father was 86 years old, he was elderly, but he had no pathology [no prior or underlying health conditions]. People have to understand that they have to stay at home, because it's okay that they keep saying that the victims are old, but then when it happens to your parents it's really hard."

Though his parents' bodies had been moved to a cemetery, "it will take a few days to cremate them because there are too many dead."

But he has made sure to keep his family safe by quarantining himself with them, according to NY Post.  "Me, my children and my wife are in quarantine," explained Luca to Corriere della Sera, "so the sadness is double. At this moment, I can't see my sister, who took care of all the paperwork. I can't receive a friend's visit. Nothing. In one day I lost both my parents. But let's go on, my father always told me."

Please send your prayers to any and everyone who lost their lives to COVID-19 globally and send your condolences to their families who might not have even been able to visit them in their final moments.

For more information on the COVID-19, please check out CDC and WHO. To contact your Local Health Departments (USA), click here.

Featured image and facebook image credited to Pixabay