An Enniskillen woman who had to say goodbye to her brother via Facetime messaging as he lay dying of Covid-19 in hospital after he contracted the virus from his care home, is backing a call for a public NI Covid-19 inquiry ahead of next week's Assembly elections.

Basil Elliott, who suffered from dementia, was a resident of Meadow View Care Home in Enniskillen when he contracted Covid-19 in 2020.

Due to visiting restrictions in place at the time, he spent his last days without his family in the Covid ward in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, his sister, Anne Elliott-King, described having to say goodbye to her beloved older brother over Facetime as "the worst thing ever".

READ MORE: Sister pays loving tribute to late ‘absolute gentleman’ big brother

"The fact is that my brother Basil got Covid-19 in that home even though he hadn't been out of it, even though his relatives, myself and my sisters, weren't allowed to go visit him," said Anne, who is a member of the Northern Ireland Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group.

The group is calling for all NI Assembly candidates to prioritise a NI Covid-19 inquiry, so that the next administration will be best-placed to learn lessons and save lives.

Explaining that Basil's death was not a shock, as he had been in and out of hospital due to illness aside from Covid-19, Anne said: "What hurt me was having to say goodbye to him on Facetime.

"I would freely admit that I probably have post-traumatic stress after Basil dying. I would admit that, because saying goodbye to him on Facetime was the worst thing ever," she added, noting that due to the regulations in place at the time, her brother was unable to have a wake or a funeral service, simply saying: "It was horrendous."

She continued: "With regards to the public inquiry, my main points are the fact that people were discharged from hospital into nursing homes as if the people in nursing homes weren't vulnerable enough.

READ MORE: Confusion over when testing began for patients being discharged to care setting

"The lack of PPE, the fact that infection control wasn't taken into care with regards to medical people travelling from different homes, and even staff members going from home to home – infection control was not seen to," said Anne.

On Wednesday, April 27, the High Court in England ruled that government policies on discharging hospital patients into care homes at the start of the coronavirus pandemic were “unlawful”, undermining claims that a “protective ring” was put in place for the most vulnerable.

As a vulnerable person herself, Anne has chosen to continue isolating, and with the upcoming election, she is angered by the decision to allow people who test positive for Covid-19, or who have symptoms, to vote at polling stations here for the Assembly elections.

"I know that our votes were hard-fought for by the Suffragettes – I know that, but those cretins up in Stormont made a decision that people who were Covid-positive could go and vote without a mask on!

"So, I'm not going to vote – I am still isolating; I haven't had a meal out, I haven't been to the cinema, I haven't been anywhere in two years."

As she follows the Assembly election candidates' campaigns, Anne has not been impressed.

"None of the people standing for election at the moment, not one party wants to address the fact that there are so many vulnerable people out there that still don't feel comfortable going out and about, and yet they've took the masks off.

"Quite frankly, I don't have any faith in anybody standing for this election."

She highlighted that for vulnerable people such as herself, the pandemic is not over, despite the easing of Covid-19 regulations.

"We're not over [the pandemic], and there really needs to be a public inquiry of how this whole issue has been handled," she said, going on to outline what she would hope a public inquiry in NI would acknowledge.

"First of all, that these people shouldn't have died – lives could have been saved, and I'm not only talking about elderly lives. Carers died, doctors died, nurses died, and I think those lives could have been saved with proper infection control.

"Secondly, I think that when those in Stormont get their act together, they really should consider a Covid Memorial Day.

"And, thirdly, that our relatives mattered. I think if there was a public inquiry, it would give our loved ones a voice, because they don't have one any more," added Anne.