Covid-19: which categories of workers are most exposed to the risks of contagion?

Last updated on September 28th, 2021 at 09:21 am

There are health workers, governments employees, public administration employees or workers at stations, airports and ports who remain in close contact with hundreds of people every day for 8-10 or even 12 hours a day. Many public sector employees, in particular personnel of state bodies, have been given the opportunity to work remotely in the event that an employee is unable to attend the workplace precisely to comply with prevention measures, but can still carry out the activity.

The number of health workers infected all over the world is worrying because, beyond doubt, in this battle on the front line there are doctors, nurses, Oss, health workers in our hospitals. It is up to the workers and health workers to welcome, take charge, assist and treat the patients infected by COVID-19 virus. This work must be done in complete safety to protect the patients and the operators themselves because in the unfortunate hypothesis that some of them will get sick there would be one more patient and also one less operator whose absence would heavily affect the organization of the medical response to the pandemic.

Think if those who sanitize hospital environments or those who carry out the restaurant service did not go to work these days. These operators continue to gravitate within the wards and in the rooms of our hospitals, coming into constant contact with healthcare personnel and patients, while the contracting companies are no longer able to find suitable masks to protect them. “We are afraid. Not just for ourselves or our relatives. We are afraid of becoming possible vehicles of the virus both inside and outside hospitals, while we return home by public transport or while we stop in some supermarket” say the unions of this category in Italy, the most affected country in Europe, third for number of cases after USA and China.

In addition, despite the interruption of the international lines, the cases of contagion from Coronavirus and the constantly evolving situation require protection for workers exposed to greater risks such as those in the airports that continue to operate. Measures are needed to protect workers in continuous contact with users, providing them with suitable protective tools. Governments should not forget that the protection of the health of each worker, in addition to being a mandatory and valid principle for all times, today becomes an element that protects the safety and well being of all their citizens at the same time.