Brave nursing couple who work on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic make heartbreaking decision to separate from their three kids – and they have no idea when they will see them again
- Irene Hall, 37, and her husband John, 49, live in Fremantle, Western Australia
- They are currently working on the frontline of the coronavirus disease as nurses
- Parents to a 13, 11 and nine-year-old, they were worried about passing it on
- So they have decided to leave their children with their grandparents for now
- It’s not known how long COVID-19 will last and could be up to six months
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Parents who work in healthcare have made the difficult decision to separate from their children for the ‘foreseeable future’ to avoid passing coronavirus on to their loved ones.
Irene Hall, 37, and her husband John, 49, are based in Fremantle, Western Australia, where there have been 340 confirmed cases of the virus and two people have died since the start of March.
Irene is enrolled as a nurse in day surgery at Fremantle Hospital while John is a clinical nurse specialist in the mental health sector.
‘John and I just said goodbye to our beautiful children for the foreseeable future,’ Irene wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Irene Hall, 37, and her husband John, 49, are based in Fremantle, Western Australia, where there have been 340 confirmed cases of the virus and two people have died since the start of March (pictured with their three children)
‘They are now living in self lockdown with their grandparents.
‘With both of us working in health, we made the very hard decision that to protect them all we had to stop coming home from work and potentially exposing them and my parents.’
Irene described the situation as ‘very hard’ and tears were shared after they made the choice, but ultimately they know it’s the right one for them.
‘We will miss you, but thankfully we have technology,’ she said.
Irene confirmed to FEMAIL that she isn’t normally a person who shares intimate details about her life on social media.
‘However I decided to do that as an example to others to show what it is going to take to get through this,’ she said.
Her children – who are aged 13, 11 and nine – ‘very much understand’ why they won’t be able to see their parents, even if it’s as long as six months
Her children – who are aged 13, 11 and nine – ‘very much understand’ why they won’t be able to see their parents, even if it’s as long as six months.
‘For me the main message is do everything you can to isolate. Times will be tough, and I know the media do scare sometimes but you simply cannot ignore what is happening in the rest of the world with this,’ she said.
‘We will get through this together’.
Others online have agreed with the Hall family’s isolation measures, saying they are considering or have done the same themselves.
‘Right decision, bloody hard, this is my last morning with my partner,’ one woman said.
‘I have been travelling to be with him every weekend for six years. But with restrictions coming into place on Tuesday we will no longer be able to see each other, very sad, but we both feel it’s for the best. The sooner we knuckle down, do the right thing the sooner this will be over.’
‘I isolated from my two-year-old for a week while we transitioned from grandparent care to back in my care as I am a school teacher. It was so hard but I can’t imagine being a health care worker, you guys are amazing,’ said another.
A third added: ‘A very hard decision and one lots of us are going to have to make. Stay safe’.