Salute the little remembered frontline workers

SHILLONG: Come rain or sunshine, some people are fated to sweep and collect garbage from every corner of the city and the market spaces. “Stay Home, Stay Safe,” is a newly coined phrase post the COVID-19 pandemic which is alien to some people because of the call of duty.
Think how terrible the city would be if Municipal workers stayed at home.
What is worth admiring is that these workers don’t think they are doing extraordinary service although sometimes they are not paid at the end of the month. When you talk to them they have a smile and are almost diffident to respond. The volunteers of Operation Clean-Up who have been working alongside these municipal workers during their cleaning drives have become good friends sharing a food packet and sweeping alongside with them.
On April 16 when these same workers had to carry out the last rites of the first patient who died of COVID-19 and were seen in their PPE suits doing things in a very professional manner it gave everyone a sense of comfort. They knew the regimen because they have been trained by their Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Batlang Sohliya how to go about their task.
Speaking to this correspondent, Sohliya said, “We managed to procure the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for them because we had to be prepared for the worst. These suits have come in handy. The workers have been well trained on how to disinfect the suits and store them properly after use.”
On April 16, before they left for their work of burying the mortal remains of the deceased, Sohliya said they were encouraged to do their work well and were given a send off of “Go..go..go and a lot of claps.” This is the first case of a COVID death and we wanted to get everything right especially after the fracas of the previous day. Thankfully everything went well.
The municipal staff are as much frontline workers as others but are often forgotten.
At the time of the pandemic they are the ones who must ensure that the surroundings are clean and also spray disinfectant throughout the city. It appears that some of those who were involved in the last rites of the deceased on April 15 were not very welcome when they went back home.  COVID has created a paranoia that arises from fear and paranoia because the virus is still an unknown enemy. Clearly there is a lot of awareness creation needed even within the city of Shillong to ensure that health workers and others involved in hospital duties are not stigmatised and ostracised.
It would have been fair and equitable if these municipal workers had better wages considering the work they do and the dangers they are exposed to while handling all manner of garbage which include syringes etc., which could well be infected.
But these workers carry on unquestioningly. There’s not to reason why, there’s but to do or perish from hunger and want.