Coronavirus. A term that everyone has become far too familiar with. It is a virus that has affected everyone’s daily life and keeps essential workers out in the hard and dangerous conditions of this pandemic. 

Essential workers have become very important in this pandemic to keep everyone safe and help those who have been affected by the virus. The only issue is the complete difference from their normal lives and now they are putting themselves and their families at risk every day since they are exposing themselves to the virus. No matter if it is a Doctor, a police officer, or just a civilian we are all putting everyone at risk when we don’t wear masks out in public. 

Individuals who work in hospitals go to work every single day without knowing how many Covid-19 patients they are going to come into contact with. They risk being exposed to the virus to help keep their patients safe. A lot has changed for them within their work environments including having to wear completely different masks than the everyday person. These “face shields” protect them from any and all bacteria, which not only keeps them safe, but other patients inside the hospital.

Doctors and other essential workers are doing the most to get us through these hard times, but without cooperation from the public, it isn’t good enough. Some people just aren’t doing their part in wearing masks when they go out, staying six feet apart, and using hand sanitizer. This is affecting how many people contract the virus and the rate at which these people can die; a number that just keeps growing. The more people staying outside and not wearing masks are that many more tests needed and more people who tragically are lost during the pandemic.

“My job is much harder than it used to be because there is an extra layer of stress on my shoulders above and beyond the stress I already had ensuring I keep my patients safe,” Dr. Wendy Suhre said. “Not only does it make my job harder, but the patients suffer as well.  For example, patients are not allowed to have a family member with them when they come for surgery or after the surgery – they must do it alone.  We just can’t take the chance that a visitor will infect the patient or anyone else in the medical center”

Yes, this pandemic has been going on for a long time and people are getting tired of it. School has been switched to online, essential workers are working extremely long hours, and the world is not the same. What most people don’t seem to fully understand is that this is a very deadly virus that affects all ages. That’s why it is so much more important to stay inside and protect your family and friends especially people with underlying conditions. 

“I do not want to make assumptions regarding all people, but I do think people do not completely understand the deadly nature of this virus and what we need to do to protect our family, friends, and fellow Americans.  Following the advice of experts is extremely important, and when you don’t, you are risking not only your life, but everyone around you,” said Dr. Suhre.

Not only do doctors deal with Covid in their everyday life but other essential workers like police officers are out risking their lives when around people who may contain the virus and unlike doctors they only wear masks and have a higher risk of getting contaminated with the disease. With a Police Officer in the family there was an incident with them arresting someone who did end up having Covid and he and his partners had to be tested which put their entire families at risk especially the Police Officer in my family with an older lady living at home with an underlying condition.

“COVID has taken a toll on my everyday work because of the risk of exposing myself to anyone who may have it when I am out on the field with my partner” said Officer Barendt.

All essential workers have been out in the world during this whole pandemic when the rest of the world is getting the order to stay home. Watching them risk their lives everyday is something very hard for their families and makes it harder to understand why people don’t want to stay inside. If everyone stayed inside we could control the outbreak and hopefully make the rate go down of all the people getting Covid and the deaths.  

A doctor working from The University of Washington says,“ If I can wear a mask for 12 hours a day, I am pretty sure everyone should be able to wear it when they enter stores.  People really do need to put their ignorance, politics, and unsubstantiated beliefs aside, and just do what the experts are telling them to do to keep themselves  and everyone around them safe and protected.”

From many essential workers’ view on the virus, it is hard for them to see people not taking this seriously and acting like the effects of the virus can’t reach them. Deaths are coming from so many ages and everyone needs to be careful of what they are doing and how many people they are coming in contact with. Essential workers are on the front lines dealing with this outbreak and are witnessing the tragedies first hand. It is only fair if the rest of the world does their part by social-distancing and keeping themselves and their families safe.