People who died almost 40 years ago have received a letter ordering them to stay indoors as they were at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

Authorities have been sending letters to people who suffer from a number of chronic conditions, telling them to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary as they are considered a high-risk group for the coronavirus.  

But letters have also been sent to some people who are long deceased. 

Several people told Times of Malta about how hurtful it was that their wound had been reopened with a “silly mistake”. 

One woman who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that her 88-year-old mother had opened a letter addressed to her father, who died in March 1993.

“I saw tears in her eyes. It broke my heart to see her suffer. She told me he will not get the virus and will surely not leave from where he is. I felt sorry for her. It’s been 27 years but it still hurts. It’s insensitivity at its best,” she said.

She added that this was not the first time that letters have been sent for her father to attend hospital appointments, for example.

“We have been assured it won’t happen again but it keeps happening. How can we be sure that this will not happen again?”

Another woman said when contacted that the letter made her family travel back to when her father passed away. 

“My dad passed away in 1984. I was four years old at the time and I hardly remember him. It's hard on my mum, who phones us up in tears when it happens.

"Yesterday it was anger, not sadness or despair. Anger at a situation which we were promised was solved. Anger because we still wish he was still around in danger of coronavirus, because then we could do something about it! You never really forget a loved one has passed but something like this somehow makes it more real,” she said. 

Only one man took it light-heartedly. His grandmother, who died in 1991, received a letter from the Health Ministry ordering her to stay indoors as she was at higher risk of contracting the lethal virus.

“I found it comical. It was obviously a mistake,” he said.

When contacted, a Health Ministry spokeswoman admitted there were “shortcomings” and that this was why some individuals who had passed away still received this letter at their last registered address. 

She said the list of individuals who are considered to be 'high-risk' was compiled from various sources. The list of individuals who suffer from chronic conditions and pregnant women was obtained from Mater Dei's and other hospitals’ records and internal Pharmacy of Your Choice records while the list of people over 65 was obtained from the Public Registry. 

“Regretfully, we have become aware of some shortcomings in the lists,” she said.

She said an email address has been set up, covid19.vulnerable@gov.mt, for clarifications to be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals and feedback given. Helpline 111 can still be used for guidance.