It’s been about a month since coronavirus (COVID-19) forced everyone to stay at home and only go out for essentials, such as groceries. There’s no denying that it absolutely sucks. This is something that has affected literally everyone one way or another. But I am definitely thankful that I am healthy and that my family and friends are healthy.

While this situation has forced many people to work from home and has seen many people lose their jobs, I feel that it is necessary to thank the people who are on the front line and are entering very dangerous conditions each and every day to keep the rest of us safe.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the doctors and nurses and every medical staff member all over the world for putting their lives on the line and doing everything that they can to help save those whose lives are on the line and are at risk of not surviving from the coronavirus. Yes, it is their job to so and it’s what they are getting paid for, but I don’t think anyone could have envisioned that we would be in a situation of this magnitude that has taken so many lives in the United States and across the rest of the world. When there isn’t a crisis going on, it’s easy to overlook the tremendous jobs that they do, but in times like this, we see that they are the real MVPs (Most Valuable People). I’ve seen so many stories on TV with doctors and nurses sharing what their daily routine has been since this pandemic has started. It’s incredible and mind-blowing that many medical staff members are working 12-13 hour shifts a day and are getting very little sleep. Not only are they working such long hours throughout the day, but in many cases, they don’t even feel that it is safe enough to return to their own homes because they are afraid that they would be putting their family members that live with them at risk of contracting the coronavirus. They’ve spent so much time away from home trying to save the lives of people who have contracted the virus. It’s hard to imagine that people are now living in trailers or even in their cars because it’s too dangerous for them to go inside their homes. Thank you for everything that you have done and are continuing to do to save lives, and thank you to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx for continuing to update us on the measures we should take to stay safe.

I would next like to thank the first responders including the police officers and firefighters. I know that every single day they are putting their lives on the line to protect us. I feel that a special thank you is necessary to the first responders here in New York who work on Long Island, both in Nassau and Suffolk County, as well as in New York City and Westchester. Out of all of the states in the U.S., New York has been hit the hardest, and the police officers and firefighters are still going into the hot zones every day to continue to keep communities safe. Many of the first responders in New York City have contracted the virus and some have even died from it because they were out there in the highest risk areas.

One more thank you is in order to the public transportation operators who are getting people to and from where they need to go and the mail carriers and everyone else who is delivering packages to homes. The public transportation operators, such as the bus drivers and engineers, are continuing to transport people, many of whom are essential workers, and they can often be under-appreciated for the work that they do. Thank you to the mail carriers who have no choice but to spend most of their days outside delivering mail and packages to so many people and are also at risk of contracting the virus while doing their job.

Like everyone else, I’m hopeful that the spread of the coronavirus ends soon and we can all get back to our daily lives. But while we are still in the middle of this global pandemic, I felt the need to show my appreciation for those on the front line, continuing to keep us safe.