This is the moment when the calls to stay at home multiply and very well! But not all workers can do it ... for them and for you, stay at home!
We live in a cosmopolitan society, in which interdependent relationships prevent everyone from staying at home, while the pandemic of this coronavirus , COVID-19 , spreads and leaves a trail of death, worldwide. That is why some professionals have not abandoned their jobs in the areas of healthcare, science and research, defense and security, logistics and distribution, transport, banking, press and communication, cleaning and maintenance, workshops, etc. They leave the house every day, or for alternate periods of 2 weeks, to ensure that those who stay at home can do so, as if the world had not stopped ... but it stopped!
This article is addressed to all of them, along with a huge thank you ! But it is not enough to thank, it is necessary that we think about all of them right now, because they are also parents, they have families, fears and anxieties and financial difficulties like all of us. These are the heroes who fight an invisible but lethal enemy! These are the heroes of COVID-19 ! Here is a special mention to some of them:
Health professionals
To more than 53,000 doctors , 74,000 nurses , 13,500 pharmacists , 10.200 dentists , 400 NHS nutritionists , psychologists and a wide range of professionals in the fields of diagnosis and therapy, as well as administrative staff who continue to develop their activity, taking risks, but struggling daily to keep open about 230 hospitals, 387 health centers, 2,900 pharmacies, etc.
This is the moment when these professionals, whether from the public or private sector, clearly demonstrate why this sector is important in our lives. For this reason, special conditions are being created, whether in access to supermarkets (with their own hours), or in the provision of rooms and housing available to many displaced professionals or who, due to their own quarantine, are prevented from entering their homes. . But more is needed! Many of these professionals complain about the lack of special suits to access the infected areas, enough masks, etc. etc.
They are the first frontline in this war against the coronavirus (COVID-19) ! They are the ones who risk their health and that of their families for the good of the other Portuguese. Many of them work tirelessly and without rest, because they lack human resources!
As of today (30.Mar), more than 850 health professionals had already been infected! It is urgent to look at these workers, who cannot be quarantined, protect them and give priority to their professional needs - material or financial - or personal, subsistence and living conditions. Thank you all!
Defense and Security Professionals
It is known that in these times of national emergency, more than ever, the country must respect public order and defend the citizens who are most vulnerable. In other words, it is necessary to respect the more than 760 elements of the judicial police , 21,000 PSP police , 22.600 GNR guards , 850 SEF professionals and some of the more than 37,000 private security guards who continue to work in hospitals, banks and supermarkets. To all of these, we must add the more than 25,000 military personnel from the Armed Forces, who are being called upon to assist the National Health Service and Internal Administration in this quarantine phase.
It is necessary that ALL Portuguese understand the importance of respecting the order and laws in force. Even in the task of restricting mobility during the quarantine period to some unwary or disobedient, these professionals have been exemplary! It is essential to accept and respect mobility restrictions, for them and for us, stay at home!
They all have families and some have health problems that could make them the next victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they all face the day to day, with their heads held high, showing a security and calm that they do not always feel, often without adequate protective material in quantity and quality. But despite everything and against everything they are present, and they demonstrate why Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world. It is no accident! Thank you all!
Logistics and Distribution Professionals
They are often ignored. They have lives that many do not know, but that involve great effort and sacrifice, without benefiting from the respect and brilliance of other professions. But they are a battalion of professionals responsible for the supply chain for the products we consume and without which life would not exist as we conceived it. Food, medicine, car components, hospital supplies, etc. etc., without these professionals we would not be able to stay at home, comfortably and safely.
When we go to a pharmacy or supermarket, when we order a takeway meal, when we receive our orders online, that's when we realize what would become of us without them!They are a professional class that lives with their fears and the fears of the population they serve, so we owe them respect and thanks and press for better conditions of security and defense of their health. Gloves and masks are in short supply! A day of work with the same mask is not enough!
From customs workers to tax inspection , administration of distribution centers , logistical activities for cargo , storage and transportation , postal and postal parcels , etc., they are an army of Portuguese people to whom we owe, today more than ever, an immense thanks !