The Coronavirus has been “haunting” Karl since its very start. In January, he was asked to go to China to commission and test some new rigs, so on the 8 January he made his way from Doha to Shanghai and was placed in a hotel two hours away.
“When I was travelling then, COVID-19 had already been discovered in Wuhan but no one was really talking about it.”
Karl was not even aware of the virus, at this point, saying it was not a prominent feature on Western news – yet. On arriving at the airport in Shanghai, Karl says it was as busy as usual, and “everything was normal.”
As days went by, the virus started spreading in China, but Karl said it still had not affected the area he was in.
The Chinese New Year, this year falling on 25 January, is a huge celebration for the Chinese, lasting many days. It was then that Karl started noticing the virus must be something serious.
The yard where he was working closed, as all businesses do during Chinese New Year, but they were told not to leave their hotel during the holidays. From then on, the measures became more and more restrictive and the situation in China changed completely in just a few days.
On 27 January, the company Karl works for instructed them to leave China. They had to make the two-hour trip back to Shanghai airport, and Karl says, “it was an experience I will never forget.” Instead of two hours, the trip took them nearly 10 hours, due to the severe traffic.
Karl and his colleagues were stranded in the car, not moving for hours on end. “The number of cars I saw in a seven-lane road was something you cannot imagine.” China had restricted movement between the different states, with every car crossing having to be checked, and each individual tested.
They made the flight just on time, but the airport was like a “ghost town”, Karl says, in stark contrast to when he arrived.
He went back to Doha for one week and, when his shift ended, he returned to Malta. Eventually, his next shift arrived, and on 3 March he left for Doha again.
When asked if he was scared to travel, considering the fact that the virus had already hit Europe, Karl explained that during those times, despite the situation in Italy, there were barely any restrictive measures around the world.
“It did not even cross my mind that in just a few days’ time, Malta would close its airports. In Qatar there was not even one case. At that time, I still believed it would not affect me.”
Thermal imagining had been introduced at Doha Airport but not much else. “Everything was normal.”
When Karl heard about the first case of Coronavirus in Malta, on 7 March, followed by the introduction of restrictive measures and the closure of the airport, he began to worry. At around the same time, Qatar also closed its airports.
When asked why he did not leave Qatar for Malta immediately, Karl explained that the company he works with had a number of workers stuck in Qatar, with no more workers able to come in.
While the company gave them the option to leave if they wanted, Karl explained that if all the workers had left, this would have affected the company’s operations, which would ultimately result in severe financial burdens.
“I wanted to help the company. I felt it was my duty. It was not an easy decision to make. I wanted to come Malta.”
Karl also explained that, apart from this sense of duty, he was also scared to travel. Logistically, it was also a bit of a problem to get on the repatriation flights, as they were taking off only from European countries.
The situation, at that time, had spiralled out of control. “I used to follow Professor Charmaine Gauci’s press conference daily and she used to say, at the beginning, we have 12 new cases, 10 of which are associated with travel. We are now doing a contract tracing of those who were on the plane, next to them. How can you not be scared? I was convinced that if I travelled then I would get it.”
There was nothing Karl wanted more than to come home and hug his wife and children, but it just was not that simple, he said, with a strain in his voice.
“Other Maltese working in the offshore industry, which I know, have now been made redundant. When I was seeing thousands of job losses in the oil and gas industry, I considered myself lucky to have a job and I did not want to just throw it away.”
Karl felt he was safe in Doha and thought he would try to stick it out. “I always kept in mind my family, taking every decision with my wife. My wife is amazing, always supportive. We have two children and suddenly both were at home, with no help from our parents, due to issued health guidelines.”
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs was in constant contact with Karl, he explained, adding that “the work they did was impeccable.” They would keep him informed of all the repatriation flights, even contacting his wife if he was not available.
Despite all these problems, his biggest concern was that a member of his family would contract the virus and something would happen to them while he was stuck in Qatar. “This haunted me, even in my dreams.”
During his last week in Doha, one of his colleagues received a call that his mother had contracted the virus and passed away. “He was stuck in Doha, he is still stuck there today because his country is still under strict lockdown.” Karl said that day was a low point for everyone's morale.
From that day, Karl decided he was coming back to Malta - he could not stay there forever and the situation was not getting any better. He was also starting to notice that his wife, despite always being a pillar of support, was buckling under the strain.
Key personnel for the gas industry were also being allowed to enter Qatar, so Karl felt there was a “light at the end of the tunnel”. He was informed he could return, eventually, which would mean he would not be without an income indefinitely.
By this time, Karl was situated offshore, so logistically it had become even more complicated to get back to Malta. Air Malta informed him there was a repatriation flight on 15 May and Karl started preparing for his travels, first boarding a helicopter, driving to Doha airport, getting a flight to Frankfurt and then another flight to Malta.
The journey was not plain sailing, however, as when he arrived at Doha airport he was told he had no authorisation to enter Germany. Air Malta had told him via email that he had the required permits, but Qatar Airways insisted that they had to be informed directly.
Karl tried to call Air Malta but received no reply. “I missed the flight. I finally had the chance to leave and I missed it.” He explained that the person from Air Malta he was communicating with was extremely helpful, but he cannot understand why Air Malta, considering the situation, did not have a 24/7 helpline for those catching repatriation flights.
Eventually, the issue was resolved and a new flight was booked for three days later. During this time Karl remained locked in the hotel that was provided for him, as he was very fearful of wandering around.
Arriving in Frankfurt, Karl was impressed, never having seen it so devoid of people. His temperature had been checked at Doha Airport, but this was not the case in Frankfurt.
There were only nine people on the flight from Frankfurt to Malta. During the flight, Karl was given a form to fill in his details, in case the need arose for contact tracing. Thermal imaging is still set up at the Maltese airport and he was informed of the mandatory quarantine on his arrival.
Karl has now been in quarantine for 13 days, saying the police come to check on him regularly. He spends his days cooking, reading the news and watching TV series. Sometimes his wife and children come to wave to him, while he talks to them from the balcony.
Last Monday, Karl celebrated his birthday alone, in quarantine, but he said, “nothing in this world is more important that the love from family and friends. Even though I spent this birthday alone, I know I am loved and that is my best achievement.”
The 24-hour countdown to see his family has now begun. Karl has taken a swab test to ensure he is of no danger to his family and cannot wait for tomorrow, when he can finally hug his children and wife.