It is not easy to talk about such painful things through video interposing. Matt Fowler and Jo Goodman, co-founders of the British Covid-19 Victims Association Bereaved Families for Justice UK, yet agreed to testify. Both lost their father in April during the “first wave” of the pandemic. Matt’s, Ian, was only 56 years old, he had just taken early retirement after an engineering career at Jaguar Land Rover. Native Nuneaton (Warwickshire, central England), “He was a lovely man”, says Matt, 33, technician at Jaguar.
Ian Fowler started showing symptoms of Covid-19 – cough, difficulty breathing – shortly after mid-March. At the time, the government still only advised thorough hand washing and did not ban gatherings. He was hospitalized on the day of the national entry into confinement, March 23, but his condition worsened, the hospital put him on a ventilator. “The staff were fantastic, they helped a lot, but after three weeks they told us there was nothing more to do. “
Matt was not there when his father fell ill, “The last time I saw him, it was for his birthday, in January. My daddy was very popular, for his funeral we couldn’t be more than ten [selon les consignes officielles] but there were over three hundred people lined up in the street. ” Five months later, his absence is still as sharp: “For me, it’s like he’s there, and then suddenly he’s not there. It was all so abrupt, I feel more angry than anything else. His death was completely preventable ”, still judge Matt.
Unanimous criticism
Jo Goodman, 31, is from Norwich (Norfolk). She finds it difficult to hold back her emotion. His father, Stuart Goodman, 72, was a retired photojournalist, “The cutest person ever.” He had health issues, we almost lost him last year after a heart attack. He had recovered well. The last time I saw him was in November, then I went to India. ”
The hospital suspects Stuart of developing cancer at the end of 2019, carries out examinations, makes an appointment for him on March 18 to communicate the diagnosis. “I called him in a panic, I told him that it was not a question of examinations, that in the hospital they could send him the diagnosis by telephone. But he didn’t want to make a fuss, he went to the hospital. There was no social distancing, the staff did not wear protection while the patients were all very vulnerable. It is believed to be the most likely place where he caught the virus. ”
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