In the "Opinion" show yesterday, the late letter of Denada Ishmi, whose father passed away from Covid-19 in Indonesia, was made public. She points out throughout the letter why she decided to take her parents to Indonesia shortly before the end of the year, but also to the fact that the earthquake had destroyed their Durres apartment where the family lived.

In this letter, the exciting words of the daughter who lost her father and had to go all alone to her last home, due to the coronavirus situation around the world, come with some sincere and valuable messages today more that never for all of us.

I was the only one to convey to the last apartment, Dad's inanimate body. No one else was allowed and could not be at the funeral. He died on March 20, 12 days after he was confirmed to be affected by coronavirus.

The authorities asked me if I wanted him to be taken to a cemetery, or taken to a crematorium where I could receive his ashes. Together with the sisters, Emma in Durres and Alba in Italy, we decided to take her to the cemetery, here in Indonesia, in the hope that one day I could return to Albania and have the funeral she deserved.

The fact that there could be no dignified escort for my father, Ruzhdi Ishmi, once an engineer at the NIS Durres cigar factory, aggravates me and the sisters as much as his loss.

I talk about it and I can't hold back tears. Dad was good, he was strong, no illness, he didn't show like 85 years old.
I still do not know how they got infected with coronavirus, father, mother and spouse. I am unclear where they might have got the virus.

My parents lived in Durres. Their home was damaged after the November 26 earthquake. They left the house because it was not habitable, they went through a difficult situation. In December I decided to get them here. I have been living in Jakarta for years, working for an international financial institution, as is my husband Martin, a Swiss.

We have both been working in the field of economic development for years. My parents had come to Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, and Switzerland at other times, wherever we lived. We spent the New Year together, went to Bali, enjoyed it very much. We only went to Singapore one day for the visa issue and then the next time home. While Indonesia had not yet confirmed affected by the coronavirus, her concerns began to arise.

A little bit of a sore throat, a cough. We went to the doctor and got antibiotics. We asked for the test but they didn't. Dad looked better, just spending a lot of time in his sleep. When her father started coughing, we went to the doctor and insisted on doing the test. Both were positive. Immediately afterwards, Martin and I did the tests. My husband, too, came out positive, but there were no signs that I was not affected.

At first, Mom's situation seemed more difficult, but thankfully she recovered. Martin also spent nine days in solitary confinement in the hospital. Whereas Dad who looked better then got worse until he went into a respiratory intubation. He couldn't pass it, his heart couldn't handle it. Gave breath, as soon as Friday's prayer was over. We left in peace, in peace, and I hope he is at peace wherever he went.

As never before, he recounted the days of his return to Durres before he fell ill. He misses the city where he first created traffic lights and advertising with lighting.

So in Durres it was called Guglielmo Marconi or the inventor of NISH Cigar. You will remain eternal in our hearts Dad and one day rest in your Durres that you had so much in your heart.

Per Opinion Denada Ishmi, Jakarta March 23, 2020