Have you ever been in a situation where you get and don’t get someone’s point at the same time?
That’s my experience while reading the news about organizations that rallied against the government’s quarantine orders. I understood why they did not want to stay at home for too long; they had to work to survive. However, I also found that self-isolation could keep the virus from spreading; that’s why the new regulation was not out of line at all.
Instead of wasting my energy by changing the protesters’ views, I choose to focus on frontline workers. They are our modern-day heroes who suffer more than anyone during the pandemic, to be honest. Below are a few things we can do to make their life easier.
Follow The Rules
Uniformed men and women have been stationed at almost every entry and exit point in various states to reduce the chances of letting infected people in and spreading the virus. The nurses and doctors also work hard in hospitals—real or makeshift—as the number of COVID-19 patients is not slowing down much. In other words, they serve more individuals than they can handle.
If you wish to ease their lives at work, you need to start following the new rules diligently:
• Do not leave the house for insignificant reasons, e.g., partying, gambling, working out at the gym or any public place, etc.
• Wear a face mask every time you step out of the door.
• Put a wide berth between you and anyone else in public.
Avoid Lying About Your Health Status
A significant number of COVID-19 patients are frontline workers, and people wonder how that has happened. They ask, “Don’t the doctors know the proper handling of infected individuals?” “Don’t the nurses or uniformed officers wear face masks and other protective gear?”
The answer to both questions is that yes, these frontline workers are well-knowledgeable on how to look after themselves while taking care of others. However, many still end up falling ill because some patients lie about their health status.
I found a fitting example of that while watching international news. A couple of months ago, a Philippine senator walked in a hospital to accompany his wife, who was supposed to give birth. However, he did not inform any staff that he had coronavirus symptoms and was waiting for the results of his medical testing. When it turned out that the senator indeed had COVID-19, he left the hospital at once but not before potentially spreading the virus to unsuspecting hospital personnel.
Show Your Gratefulness Towards Them
Whether the frontline workers are at the borders or in the hospitals, they are expected to work harder than ever due to the pandemic. For instance, when patrolling the entry and exit points in the cities, they need to check every car and scan anyone who wants to enter or leave the area. In health facilities, there may not be enough medical professionals to accommodate all the COVID-19 patients, but they cannot turn them away, so they tend to work overtime. Every single day since the outbreak, therefore, their stress level may already be larger than life.
Now, it is unrealistic to think that you can give them a day off and save the day to show your gratefulness to them. You want to ease their load, but you may not have been trained to do what they are doing for everyone. Instead, you should always thank and smile at them and avoid toeing the line all the time. Even if you cannot stop others from breaking the rules, what matters is that you don’t add to the frontline workers’ problems.
Final Thoughts
Stop trying to question the government’s decision to put everyone under quarantine. Their idea has already been tried and tested—hide if you can’t fight the enemy. Your focus should be on the frontline workers’ welfare, especially now that they are doing their best to protect us from COVID-19.