Up until recently, the only serious COVID-19 cases I knew of were friends’ relatives I had never met. That changed about a week ago. Last year a good friend, in fact our emergency contact here in Austin, took a bad fall and ended up in a nursing home a mile away. We visited every week or two until the shutdown. A week ago we learned that she had died of COVID-19. The nursing home had an outbreak that she did fine through. As the outbreak subsided, she became sick and died in a matter of days.
More details are emerging. The outbreak came after the lockdown on visitors was lifted. One family asked to take their mother to her doctor appointment instead of letting the nursing home staff do it. They signed a document saying that was all they would do. They took her to her appointment, then to lunch, then shopping. Five days later, the mother became sick and died of COVID-19. Half dozen other deaths followed. I would hope that they would be held accountable for lying and the deaths. In Texas there is a good chance they will not.
Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain.
Friedrich Schiller
We all are vulnerable. The surprise is even the gods are vulnerable (see Jeremiah 15:15-21).
The culture of dying looks at funerals and other rites of mourning across several religions and cultures. With no way to mourn for my friend announced yet, I don’t know how. This article helps. Traditional practices have to be modified.