Malta’s frontline workers in the fight against Covid-19 were very much praised in the past for their efforts in containing the virus, and are today again fighting to help keep the virus under control.

Doctors, nurses, all other health professionals at the swabbing centres and providing other such services are to be commended for their impeccable service during this trying period.

They have risked their own health so that we may feel safer, have risked their own health so that there would be less of a chance of us contracting the virus.

But this brings about a few important questions. While people have applauded healthcare professionals, have we truly shown them the respect they deserve? Have we truly thanked them?

The best way we can help our healthcare workers is by taking precautions, by wearing masks in public areas, by washing our hands regularly, by observing social distancing guidelines. Many were not doing this when the virus numbers were low, and look where that brought us?

People who refuse to follow the recommendations now are doing nothing but further burdening Malta’s healthcare system by being part of the problem in terms of spreading the virus. That means that our doctors and nurses will need to work harder, leaving them more tired than they are now.

The government has a large share of the responsibility to carry also, having allowed mass events to take place when it was so obvious that doing so would result in a second wave, as time has proven to have happened. Indeed greed outweighed healthcare in that instance.

Just recently, it was announced that 140 new nurses graduated from the University of Malta. This is excellent news given that Malta has been experiencing a nursing shortage for a number of years. These young professionals are about to embark on a journey of helping others, on a career path that will hopefully leave them feeling fulfilled for dedicating their lives to the healthcare of others.

Malta must protect its healthcare workforce, the men and woman fighting to keep us all safe, and everyone must recognise that by not doing their part, then it just puts more pressure on a system which the country relies on.

Other frontline workers must also be thanks, such as those working in care homes for example. They have taken added precautions to care for the elderly and the vulnerable. They had even lived inside the homes for a while in order to ensure that none of the elderly people residing in the homes become ill.

The second wave has affected such residents drastically with restrictions on visitation having been announced. Being selfish and putting greed before people just because the virus is unlikely to harm you is selfish. Think of the elderly people who cannot see their families face-to face as a result of the second wave. The government needs to balance health and the economy, but so blatantly failed to do so the last time round. It needs to wake up and realise that not all sectors will be able to recover as quickly as the government wishes, as some sectors put people’s health at risk.