Praise for health workers during Covid-19 pandemic

TotT’s latest Facebook question was: Which workers do you think should be celebrated the most because of their service to the country under the Covid-19 lockdown?

Appreciation for health workers dominated the few comments invited by the question.

Mvuyi Yose said nurses should have been celebrated the most on this year’s International Workers’ Day.

Anele Kebantu Shumane is of the view that all health department employees should be celebrated.

“Everyone working at our hospitals, from the doctors and nurses to the cleaners and catering staff,” he said.

Pam van Rooyen echoed Shumane’s view. “Definitely medical staff,” she said.

Tim Ord said there were employees from other departments which played a vital role under Covid-19.

“People in South Africa do not understand what workers’ day is! For ‘workers’, firemen, police, etc,” he said.

With some sarcasm, Desmond Ian Crystal said: “Maybe our municipal manager and mayor. I mean they did manage to make sure the virus couldn’t travel through your water pipes.”

Marilyn Pattenden mentioned a number of essential workers whom she believed should have been celebrated on Workers’ Day.

“All healthcare workers and support staff in clinics, surgeries, hospitals, ambulances, all essential workers who kept us fed, from farmer to supermarket, teachers who had a whole new method of teaching thrown at them, bank and post office staff who paid all the grants and enabled online shopping etc, as well as firemen and the police and security personnel,” she said.

Pattenden went as far as acknowledging the electrical local company.

“I would add CDR personnel who kept the power on when weird things happened; some of the car licensing departments and undertakers who were in some instances overwhelmed – there are more but the list is getting long,” she said.