HEROES

VOLUNTEERS STEP IN TO FIGHT COVID-19

by Lynn Bo Bo

With one of the worst healthcare systems in the world, the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar is confronting a surge in COVID-19 cases with the help of an army of community volunteers. Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon, is in lockdown with a stay-at-home order in place to control the spread of infections. The area has become the outbreak epicenter of the country.  With health workers overwhelmed by the number of COVID-19 patients within a fragile health system, thousands of frontline volunteers are now playing an important role in fighting Myanmar’s epidemic. 

HEALTH WORKERS IN TURKEY

by SEDAT SUNA

Most of us will remember the Covid-19 outbreak and crisis as a period of forced confinement, restricted movement and fewer of the leisure activities that we used to take for granted. But for those on the frontlines of the pandemic, especially health workers, this period will be remembered as one of a desperate fight to keep thousands of people alive. As infection rates exploded and the virus spread like a wildfire even after lockdowns were imposed and most of the population was confined to their homes, doctors and nurses at hospitals and ICUs were working around the clock to save lives. Countries were forced to band together to face the invisible enemy. But unlike in war, our heroes in this battle were not soldiers; the heroes of the hour were doctors, nurses and carers in homes for the elderly.

PEOPLE WHO STAYED OUTSIDE TO BE BESIDE US 

by Yannis Kolesidis

 Ever since the pandemic arrived at our shores, our daily lives have been radically changed. We’ve acquired new habits by wearing masks, distanced ourselves from our loved ones and – most importantly – we’ve learned to ‘Stay Home.’ But this does not apply to everyone. There are some who continued to leave their homes, risking their health so that the rest of us could stay safely inside. Essential workers, ranging from intensive care professors, cardiologists to nurses and paramedics, to supermarket shelf stackers and bakers, kept these fundamental services running amid the wider shutdown. 

ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN PARIS

by JULIEN DE ROSA

France was under a strict lockdown for two months from mid-March. The crisis highlighted the vital importance of certain jobs that ordinarily would not be held in high regard.  Healthcare workers, public transport and public service employees, utilities, delivery drivers and security guards ensured that essential goods and services continued to flow freely during the shutdown.