Hani Bin Sha¡¯ari spent more than two decades rising through the ranks at STMicroelectronics NV¡¯s facility in Malaysia. He prided himself on working hard to provide for his wife and four children. So when the chip plant remained open through a spike in COVID-19 infections this year, he kept doing his job.
Then one July morning, the 43-year-old woke up with a fever. His wife, Nancy, took him to a local clinic, requesting a coronavirus test because of infections at the plant. The results came back positive. Hani was soon quarantined in a hospital. He lost so much weight he started avoiding video calls so he wouldn¡¯t alarm his family. When the couple spoke by phone later, Hani was out of breath and she urged him to rest. It was their last conversation.
"My 4-year-old son keeps asking, ¡®Where is ayah? Where is ayah?¡¯¡± Nancy, 41, said in an interview, using a Malay word for dad.
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