The seconds-long, moving footage shows Nasser Ali Al-Shahrani, who works at the King Salman Hospital in Riyadh, interacting with his son Mohammad. The exhausted father returning home from caring for the COVID-19 patients only to have to avoid his own child exemplifies the emotional cost of the pandemic for the world’s healthcare providers.
The little boy spots Al-Shahrani at the door of the family home and runs with open arms to greet his father. However, as a reflex response, Al-Shahrani quickly raises his hand and says, “No, no,” instructing the little boy not to approach him.
Then, seeing his son stop in his tracks, shocked, the doctor sinks to the ground with his head in his hands, clearly distraught by not being able to embrace his own child for fear of transmitting the virus.
The nurse added that it is a protocol for all hospital staff to leave their protective gloves and face masks at the hospital and that he usually calls ahead to request that his wife stops their children from greeting him until he has changed out of his scrubs.
The heartbreaking footage of the Saudi nurse and his young son was posted on social media on March 26, 2020, and has since amassed millions of views, shares, and comments from compassionate social media users.
Restaurants are offering takeaway services only, a nationwide 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is in place, and public transport, including both international and domestic flights, has been suspended until further notice. Only pharmacies and grocery stores remain open for limited usage.
While much of the world is being instructed to isolate safely at home, stories such as Al-Shahrani and his young son’s are circulating, informing people of the sacrifices that tireless healthcare workers are making in order to provide front line intensive care to the people who need it.