Working through crisis

From joiners to nurses, bus drivers to binmen, they’re the people who are keeping the country going during lockdown. meets Courier Country’s key workers

It’s life, Jim, but not as we know it. Living under lockdown has been strange for everyone. One of the many things coronavirus has done is make us reappraise our priorities. Never have hedge fund managers, marketing executives or “influencers” seemed less important. Instead, our focus has rightly turned to the people who really keep society going – often for very modest wages.

Here we meet some of the key workers who have been putting their lives at risk to help Scotland get through the Covid-19 crisis.

KIRSTY GIBB, 29, IS A CHARGE NURSE AT NINEWELLS HOSPITAL.

“One of the biggest parts of the job is keeping people’s spirits up as much as we can. Patients who have Covid can’t have visitors but fortunately we have an iPad on the ward and patients can FaceTime their family.

“We had a gentleman who was in hospital before this started but then caught Covid and had to be isolated. We managed to get his daughter to speak to him by video and he was so delighted to be able to see and talk to her. It brought a tear to my eye.

“We have to wear a mask for all 12 hours, apart from on our breaks. They’re not the full masks that give people red marks on their faces – those are worn in the high dependency unit.

“They’re simple surgical masks which are more comfortable. The biggest issue for me is I like to smile a lot and patients can’t see that when I’ve got a mask on.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by little gifts and tokens from the community. I was driving home after my shift (on Thursday night) at 8pm and the streets were lined with people clapping.

“I’d seen it on the news before but this was the first time I’d seen it happen myself. It’s really touching how many people were out there and it makes me proud to work for the NHS.”

RAJIV FARMER, 40, IS THE SERVICE MANAGER FOR NHS TAYSIDE’S VIROLOGY UNIT.

“We’ve gone from nothing to super busy. We’re accustomed to being seasonal – in the winter our workload goes up by 200 or 300% – but this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

“We began Covid-19 testing on March 12. We were the first lab in Scotland to test social care and health workers. We’ve expanded testing to care homes and prison workers, and will shortly begin testing fire brigade, ambulance and police staff as well. By mid-May we should have the ability to test 1,400 people a day.

“The first minister singled out NHS Tayside for its testing, which she said was exemplary.

“It made me very proud to hear that.

We get a lot of clapping and people waving for us. It feels like there’s a newfound appreciation for what we do

We’re a small team of just 13 staff and I’m very happy to lead such an incredible group of people.

“Every member has stepped up and given their absolute best. Normally we work 9-5 but we’ve expanded our hours from 7am-9pm.

“Staff have been very happy to work different shift patterns. They’ve all been