Sheltered in the safety of our homes and the comfort of our social distancing, we watch them on our screens and read about them in the newspapers.
Epidemiologists and virologists. Nurses and doctors. Police and plasma donors.
Pathologists and paramedics. Teachers and researchers.
Grocers, street cleaners and emergency workers.
Restaurant staff, sanitation workers and taxi drivers.
Firefighters and first responders.
The truck drivers hauling our essential groceries and medical supplies across cities and countries.
Government employees and administrators, ensuring the seamless continuity of all basic services.
These are our new global celebrities – the unsung heroes on the frontline of the battle against coronavirus.
In the UAE and in all other countries battling coronavirus, these unsung heroes are on the forefront today because of their sense of responsibility, compassion and deep expertise.
Many of them never get the thanks they so rightfully deserve.
Remember that day that it was all made possible because of unsung heroes around the world. Their extraordinary sacrifice for the sake of humanity deserves our unending gratitude
The medical providers on the frontline are the people who in most cases can’t go home, who risk the health of themselves and their families, to make sure that our families are safe.
Also deserving praise are those whose efforts make up the entire infrastructure of a functioning society — such as grocery store and pharmacy staff, utility workers and other emergency personnel.
These are the people who are working day and night, in many cases interacting with potential and confirmed patients of COVID-19.
They are the ones making sure that we get the basic resources necessary to survive, that the globally overwhelmed medical infrastructure still continues to treat those hit by the virus, that children continue their studies through e-learning, that we get a steady supply of food on our plates.
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” That message from Hellen Keller is more relevant than ever today.
Beyond offering thanks, how can we help?
Let us take a moment to be grateful for everything that we have. And not complain if some things are missing from the supermarket shelves.
Let’s shop responsibly, so that others can get what they need too. Let’s find ways of robustly investing in what matters the most — in higher wages and better conditions for this entire fraternity, in advancing research and technology.
When this is all over, we will one day go out and celebrate the end of isolation.
Remember that day that it was all made possible because of unsung heroes around the world. Their extraordinary sacrifice for the sake of humanity deserves our unending gratitude.
