Fresno-area family lost parents to coronavirus. Will they have to watch burial from car?
UPDATE: Fresno County officials Tuesday allowed the family to be present for the burial as long as they follow precautionary guidelines. Read more about the decision here.
Aida Alvarez last saw her mother and father, both in their 80s, three weeks ago when they were hospitalized within two days of each other with coronavirus.
After that, Alvarez, her four sisters and others in her family who live in Firebaugh also became ill and tested positive for coronavirus.
Her mother, Antonia Gordillo, 82, died April 3. Her father, Agustin Gordillo, 85, died April 5.
Because of social distancing guidelines and shelter-in-place orders to prevent the spread of the virus, the family didn’t have a funeral for their parents. Now, they’re fighting for the chance to be there for the burial.
‘Dropping like flies’
Alvarez said that when her mother first felt sick, the doctor said she likely had a urinary tract infection and sent her home with directions to drink more water and cranberry juice. A few days later, her mother’s condition dramatically worsened overnight. Alvarez described her mom as “delirious.”
Alvarez and her sisters banded together to care for their mom. When they took her to the doctor a second time, the doctor rushed her by ambulance to a hospital due to respiratory issues.
Two days later, Alvarez’s father fell ill. The doctor said to take him straight to the hospital, where he, too, was admitted for respiratory issues. Once at the hospital, both her mother and father tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus.
“Shortly after that … we started dropping like flies,” Alvarez said. “I got sick, my sisters felt sick and one by one we all came out positive for the virus.”
Alvarez said her husband and children also got sick with the virus.
Since then, most family members have recovered.
‘Guinea pigs’
The last time Alvarez saw her parents was March 25. After her parents died, the family was given no explanation about how to proceed with her parents’ remains since they had COVID-19, she said.
“They just had us in limbo,” she said.
When the hospital finally turned the remains over to a funeral home, the family wasn’t allowed to change their mother into the outfit she previously picked out for the burial.
They didn’t have a funeral, and now they fear they won’t be able to attend the burial, either.
Alvarez said staff at Fresno Memorial Gardens told the family they could watch from their cars. But so far, they don’t even know when the burial is scheduled.
A staff member at Fresno Memorial Garden told The Bee on Tuesday morning to email questions to the general manager, which The Bee did. It did not receive a response.
Alvarez said her older sisters, who were their parents’ caretakers, are taking it the hardest.
“We want some sort of closure. All we ask for is 10 minutes,” Alvarez said. “We feel we’re actually being discriminated against because we had an illness that we could possibly be cured from because it’s been so long” since they showed symptoms of coronavirus.
“All this is new. … I don’t blame them, but we are their guinea pigs,” Alvarez said. “We are the first family this happens to in Fresno County. They’re trying to play it safe, but they’re doing it at our expense.”
County guidelines
Earlier this month, a Madera family experienced a similar scenario. The family of Wanda DeSelle sat in their cars as her casket was unloaded from a hearse and taken to her grave, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Dr. Rais Vohra, Fresno County’s interim public health officer, on April 3 issued guidelines for funeral homes and funeral directors. He recommended delaying funerals, hosting private viewings for families, offering webcasting and more.
But the county doesn’t have specific guidelines for cemeteries, other than to avoid mass gatherings, said Jordan Scott, the public information officer.
Alvarez spoke to Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco about her family’s situation. Pacheco told The Bee he could provide more information after a meeting with the health officer Tuesday afternoon.
In the meantime, Alvarez urges Fresno County residents to practice social distancing. “Staying home can help you save an elderly life.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 10:36 AM.