Coronavirus has been affecting everyone around the world differently. I believe that our emotions and thoughts of the virus differ based on the roles we currently hold in society. “Essential workers” are those who have been working on the frontlines, exposed to society and the virus, who are risking their health, the health of their loved ones, and their own sanity. They are the ones who are seeing the virus’ effect on society firsthand, while many people are only supplied with new information through social media and overly political news outlets.

I have interviewed multiple people who are currently working in essential positions in the state of New Jersey, the second highest infected state in the country right now with over 100,000 confirmed cases. These essential workers are often forgotten, unappreciated, and disrespected.

They offer inside perspectives of the struggles that the current pandemic has posed on humanity.

Mark, a Security Officer at a hospital

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“Yes. It is now a company policy that everyone in the building, including patients, must wear a mask. Security specifically was mandated to wear N95 masks in the emergency room. We also wear N95s during contact with patients on units designated for COVID-positive individuals and also during body pickups and releases.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“I am limiting conversations while maintaining a 6-foot distance and wearing a mask during the screening process at the entrance. There is barely any contact to be honest. Most people don’t want to come to a hospital under normal circumstances, so given the current state of things, our traffic volume has significantly decreased outside of the emergency room.”

• Are there new protocols regarding patients and visitors?

“All patients are being screened at the one entrance that is now open, other than the emergency room. Patients are being asked about symptoms or known contacts with COVID-positive people, and their temperatures are being taken. There’s also no visitors throughout the facility other than for hospice patients, and that’s on a controlled basis, limited to two visitors at a time.”

• How has the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortage affected you and your place of business?

“It hasn’t affected me personally a great deal, but to conserve N95 masks, ours get disinfected with a special machine and after 3 uses, you’re issued a new N95 mask.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“Frankly, yes. My dad has diabetes and that can make the virus worse if contracted, so the last thing I want is to contract COVID and bring it home to my family. I’m not scared for myself, I’m scared for them.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“I’m not one who experiences anxiety regularly, but being around this virus for 40 hours a week and to come home with regular seasonal allergy symptoms really screwed with me at the beginning until I became more educated about the virus, so it was pretty rough for a while.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“Playing shows again.”

Thomas, a Police Officer

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“Yes. We have gloves, gowns, goggles, and different levels of masks depending on the type of call we’re at. We adjusted our schedule to lessen the chance of contaminating others if someone does come down with COVID-19.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“Obviously we’re still doing our job; however, we’ve altered how we do so. We are taking some less essential reports over the phone if possible. And when we do have to go to someone’s residence, we conduct everything outside and observe social distancing guidelines. Obviously given the nature of the job, there are times when we’re in direct contact with someone, and in those interactions we’re wearing appropriate PPE.”

• How has the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shortage affected you and your place of business?

“Thankfully as a frontline service, we haven’t seen much of a shortage, but all of us are trying to conserve gloves and N95s when possible.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“I’m not necessarily scared of working or contracting COVID-19. I’m more concerned that I could unknowingly infect my family and put them in danger.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“I know a few people that have had COVID-19 and recovered. I’ve gone to a few COVID-confirmed calls, and it’s a little surreal to see the amount of protective equipment that we are using for what would have been a routine call just a few months ago.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“Go out to eat, walk the boardwalk, see friends. Everything everyone else wants to do.”

John, Manager of a retail store

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“At first, they [place of business] didn’t do much. They waited to see what other companies were doing before putting anything in place. Supplies slowly came in for staff to use but are on a weekly basis now. Everyone is wearing a face mask or covering, but not gloves because of cross contamination and we would have to change them quite frequently. We keep hand sanitizer in every area that a worker tends to and we spray/wipe all touchable areas every hour.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“We come in contact with the public all day long. People come in for their ‘essential’ items or for pharmacy items. We must assist them with finding items and providing great service, all while not knowing if they have the virus. Now that items are so scarce, customers are becoming rude, inconsiderate, and intolerable.”

• Are customers listening to social distancing/wearing masks/ abiding by your work’s new protocols?

“Before NJ’s executive order was put in place [wearing masks/face coverings inside establishments], customers weren’t taking it seriously and a lot of employees from my company either caught the virus or had to be quarantined if they had contact with a known case. Now everyone that enters the store is following the order and there hasn’t been a problem.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared per say, but definitely nervous for my family. I wear a mask and follow the guidelines for using them. I use sanitizer whenever touching anything that has been touched by the public and don’t eat any food with my hands. When I get home, I spray all areas of my car that I touched with Lysol then spray my pants in case my daughter gives me a hug when I walk in the house. I then take my clothes off and put them in a bag so they don’t touch anything else. I wash my hands and face, then wipe my phone, then say hello to my family.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“Personally, it’s stressful. I go to work everyday not knowing if, or when, I will get it, or worse, be a carrier and give it to my wife and kids. Also, not knowing if, or when, my workers catch the virus is stressful. Being the store manager, you have this constant worry for yourself, your family, and your workers, while having to do all of your regular job tasks. I just worry all day long for my family which is mentally draining.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“I’m excited to see my family! I’m excited to know that civilization will now know how to properly wash their hands!”

Emily, a Veterinary Technician at an animal hospital

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“Yes. We are wearing gloves and changing them between each appointment so there is no cross contamination. We are also wearing masks. My employer supplied us with washable face masks. It’s next to impossible to get N95 masks right now, so I’m just grateful to have some form of PPE.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“My contact with the public is very limited. I go out into our parking lot and talk to clients to get the information I need, keeping my distance, then I take the patients into our hospital to do their exams.”

• Are customers listening to social distancing/wearing masks/ abiding by your work’s new protocols?

“Some customers abide by the new protocols of contactless services by staying in their car, but some feel the need to come out of their cars to talk to me.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“At the beginning when the pandemic first happened, I was afraid to work and be around the public. I was worried I would bring it home to my family and loved ones. The guilt of possibly infecting the people I love because I was doing my job. My feelings have since changed, I’m still worried this may happen, but I’m taking the necessary steps to protect myself and my family.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“Personally, I have always been a homebody so not much has changed. I go to work and I go home. If anything, how we live everyday has become difficult.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“Let’s be honest. Life will never be the same after COVID-19. Some people will still walk around with fear and others will go back to not washing their hands. This pandemic has changed the world forever, and I never thought I would see this happen. When the world gets back on track, I want to visit my family and friends because not being able to see them made me love and appreciate them more.”

Richard, a Loader/Yard Jockey/Switcher for a well-known delivery company

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“Yes, they have. They go around every hour with hospital grade disinfectant in a power sprayer to disinfect high-traffic areas. They also have been providing us with masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. When I clock in, we all have to wait 6 feet apart for security check, and they tell us to stay home if we feel sick.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“The only time the public is involved is when they come to pick up a package that they specially requested. They only interact with the security guards, and I am not sure of the process there.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“I’m only afraid of unknowingly bringing it home to where my sister and dad are high risk.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“My uncle has it and is currently in the hospital.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“Chilling with the boys and going out to eat, and most importantly, hugging people.”

Madelyn, a Quality Control Analyst for CAR-T Cell Therapy (works in treating patients with multiple myeloma)

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“We are taking as many precautions as we can. Although I do go to work 2 to 3 times a week due to working in a lab, I get to work from home the other days of the week. When I am at work, I come in contact with only about 5 people, and we do socially distance ourselves as much as possible. Our company and partners provided us with gloves and masks, although sometimes scarce.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“I actually had a scare in which I got sick for about a week with COVID-like symptoms and got tested the day after my symptoms arose. The drive-thru testing line was 2 hours long and the test itself is not pleasant! I got my results 5 days later: negative. Now, I am more worried about contracting COVID-19 from places where there are more people passing through, like grocery stores, the laundromat, and gas stations.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“I suffer from anxiety, so this pandemic has made it more difficult in the mornings. I usually have no trouble sleeping, but now I find myself waking up anxious as if in a nightmare and then realize that we honestly are in a nightmare. I miss my friends and family; you don’t realize what you have until it’s not around. Just a hug from my mom or to go to brunch with my friends or to kiss my nieces and nephews-it’s something I try not to think about much. I do think there is a small bright side to this as I have been in contact more constantly with friends and family through apps like Zoom or a simple phone call. I definitely will not be taking these things for granted once this is over!”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“I look forward to my normal life. I remember a couple weeks ago, I went to visit my brother, his family and my mom who is living with them at the moment, while staying at least 6 feet apart. It was wonderful but then I had to use the bathroom and it hit me again, that I couldn’t use theirs. It was odd to look at his house and not be able to go inside. I am excited to be able to enter my own family’s homes!”

Sean, Stocker at a liquor store

• Has your place of business set up extra precautions to keep you and your co-workers safe? Are you wearing masks and gloves?

“Yes. We have to wear gloves and a mask, and we monitor how many people enter the store at a time. Plexiglas screens were also installed at the registers.”

• Are you in contact with the public? How so? Explain your interaction with the public during this time.

“I am in constant contact with the public, usually helping people locate items throughout the store. I’ve had people give me $100 tips and people threaten to spit or cough on me because we ran out of stock for their order. I’ve constantly had to defend the staff from rude customers. It’s a hard world to live in.”

• Are customers listening to social distancing/wearing masks/ abiding by your work’s new protocols?

“It’s about 50/50; some respect it, but some ignore it or question it.”

• Are you scared to be working and contracting COVID-19?

“Every day I’m nervous, especially considering it takes a while to show symptoms.”

• How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

“It’s made working through it extremely stressful and tiresome. I’m usually too exhausted to do anything when I get home, and it gave me a sense of paranoia every time I feel a bit sick because I am exposed to the public every day.”

• What is one thing you are excited to do when life goes back to normal?

“Sit down and have a few drinks with a few good friends at my favorite bar.”

I hope these interviews offer some insight into what essential workers are going through right now. Let’s all try and be kind and caring individuals. In a time of crisis like this, it is understandable to not think clearly and be unappreciative, but please think about thanking an essential worker. Many of them are scared to death to be out working right now and recognize that they must report to work in respect for their job, their community, and their family.

We are all battling this pandemic differently, but we are all scared and we are all in this fight together.

May we all mourn the thousands of people who have died from this horrible tragedy and the many more who are infected and currently struggling to survive. May we all come together in this time and take the proper precautions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. When we get through this pain and heartbreak, may we embrace the hugs and recognize the compassion we share. May we no longer take this life for granted.

I am wishing you all good health, peace, and clarity during this time.