The UK is now in lockdown due to the coronavirus (Covid-19). Staying home is the best place to be to stay safe, but it’s not an option for everyone. Right now, across the world, there are people who are putting themselves at risk in order to help us. The NHS staff and other essential key workers deserve a very, very big thank you from all of us.
Thank You to All Essential Key Workers
The NHS staff are amazing but they aren’t the only essential key workers. There are many people who are having to work just now to help the rest of us. Every single one of them should be shown our appreciation.
There are so many people who deserve our thanks. I can’t possibly mention them all, but I want to highlight a few.
Thank You to the Healthcare Workers – Our Wonderful NHS
We should always show gratitude to the NHS and other healthcare workers. Always. But right now, we need to be more grateful than ever.
Those people are special and deserve so much gratitude from all of us.
Our doctors and nurses are amazing. They are working long hard hours in difficult conditions to try to save lives. Our lives and the lives of our friends and families.
Their jobs are far from easy at the best of times, but right now, they are working in untested waters. They are struggling. And they may be putting their own lives at risk to help us.
Just as essential are the paramedics, the x-ray and scanning staff, the lab workers, and the pharmacists and their staff. All of them are so important.
We are lucky to have them. They deserve so much gratitude. They are essential key workers and it is essential to say thank you to them all.
And we can’t forget the scientists who are constantly researching and striving to find cures, medication and vaccines for illnesses. Right now, all of their focus is probably on Covid-19. When they do find a vaccine or a cure for it, we will be eternally grateful. But we ought to be grateful for their efforts right now.
We Have Many Essential Key Health Workers Within the NHS
The NHS is full of amazing people who are all working hard for us. But it’s not just those trained medical staff we should show our gratitude to. We ought to say thank you to so many people
Hospitals, health centres and GP practices are full of other workers who are also essential. Admin workers, domestic staff and cleaners are a vital part of the chain. As are the kitchen staff, porters and maintenance workers. The NHS couldn’t function without those people.
And if the NHS couldn’t function at all, where would we be?
We Can’t Forget the Carers
Elderly, disabled and vulnerable people still need carers (including family carers) coming into their homes to look after them despite the coronavirus. Those carers could also be putting themselves at risk too.
Other Essential Key Workers Who Deserve a ‘Thank You’
During this coronavirus crisis, so many workers are proving how invaluable they are.
There are many people who need to work during this worrying and difficult time. We need these people. We also need to thank these people.
Supermarket Workers
I don’t know if we all appreciate how important supermarket staff are and most of them are probably only getting paid the minimum wage.
Instead of thanking them, people have been getting angry, abusive and in some cases, violent towards them because the shelves are empty due to people panic buying.
This is wrong. Very wrong. Those shop workers, whether they are checkout staff or shelf stackers, are coming out to work every day to provide a vital service for us. It is not their fault that people have been panic buying enough toilet rolls to last them for the next six years.
The Food Chain
Agricultural workers, food producers, factories, suppliers, lorry drivers and delivery drivers are also still working, trying to keep up with demand so that supermarket shelves aren’t empty.
Public Transport Workers
We can’t forget the people who are working every day to ensure that the other essential key workers are able to get to their work.
Education and Childcare Workers
Schools in the UK have closed for pupils who are able to stay at home. However, they will still be open to ensure the safety of the children of key workers. This means that medical staff can still go to work without worrying about childcare.
Words are Inadequate
This post just highlights a very short list of essential key workers. There are many more people who deserve to be thanked. But just saying “Thank you” actually feels inadequate right now. Those people are real-life superheroes.
They deserve our patience and kindness. And most of all, they deserve respect.
They also deserve to be paid so much more than they are paid at present. Perhaps now that we appreciate how important a hospital cleaner or a supermarket shelf-stacker actually is, the government and their bosses will also appreciate that they deserve to be paid more than the minimum wage.
Please, during this crisis, more than ever, show gratitude to everyone who deserves it. We can never forget how hard they’ve all worked for us.
NHS information about coronavirus (Covid-19)
UK Government Coronavirus website
#StayHome #StaySafe #KeepOthersSafe
Thanks so much for this wonderful post. I am doing so much praying at the moment and often include those who are still working. Thanks for keeping up your posts so people like me can read them Love and light from susanJOY
Thank you, SusanJoy.
Here here! I want it said about the shop workers too because they’re still front line, still putting themselves at risk. Very nicely done, Liz. A huge thanks to those keeping the world moving. xx
I think they’re often overlooked. We need them. Thanks for commenting, Caz x
Thank you Liz, I have friends from most of the above but the one I feel for more than any other is the one that has been spat at, had things thrown at her including money and been pushed to the floor, guess which one she is? The one who has gone from working 2 afternoons a week to 7 days a week and all over toilet roll 🙁 it breaks my heart! xx
Oh Rachael, that is just awful. People have turned into monsters over toilet roll. The poor woman doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. Nobody does.
This is a time when we really find out who and what is ESSENTIAL! Now, we need to look at those who many are earning a base wage and see that they are earning a living that is decent. Now, that we all understand that they are essential after all.
We truly owe our lives to these people getting out there and risking theirs each day. Stay safe everyone!
It is really hard to grasp the full impact of this pandemic but living in NY I see it everyday. We have almost half of the cases in the US in New York. I have friends who are nurses and relatives who are physician assistants and medical professionals and it is bad. I also work part time as a personal shopper for groceries and we are seeing a surge in orders due to the fear of leaving the house so I thank you for your heartfelt thanks to supermarket employees and delivery personnel. In New York are nurses and doctors are what our fire fighters and police officers were to us during 9/11. We will get through this if the world just stays put/
Such a nice post to read at this difficult time. I am very grateful for all of these essential workers.
Great post. I have nothing but respect for those who are braving situations where they are putting themselves at risk for the well-being of everyone else. I keep reading posts and stories of medical workers that are having to distance themselves from family – I can’t imagine having to face what they are all day and not even being able to come home to hold your family. Thank you!
I also love that you included some of the other workers that are too often overlooked. I have seen the way some of the local grocery store workers have been treated, and hats off to them. They are on the receiving end of people’s fear, anxiety and frustration all day and yet they keep showing up and doing what they can to make sure we have access to the essentials.
Great post! very open and passionate. I have nothing but endless gratitude towards essential workers
Amazing post. We need to give more love to the key workers during this time. They are putting themselves in harms way.
The last two times I’ve gone to the grocery store, I’ve had the same cashier. She is simply amazing, but clearly exhausted too. The trip the other day, she thanked us for coming in and said, see you next time. Nathan asked me if I knew her, which I don’t past the fact she’s been working both times we’ve gone in lately. But as I told Nathan, she probably remembers the people who are nice to her because it is so rare right now. Which is sad. I hate how people are so stressed that they treat others like crap, and don’t see the problem. I am so grateful for everyone working right now, trying desperately to not only take care of those in need, but create some semblance of a normal world for the rest of us.
I am in awe of the people who go forward, go out, and do such essential jobs to keep us all fed and taking care of during a really hard time. Love this post! Thank you for articulating the gratitude so many of us feel