WASHINGTON, D.C. (WILX) – On Thursday, September 1, essential workers who were on the job during the coronavirus pandemic will be honored by the United States of America by being inducted into the Department of Labor Hall of Honor.
“The Labor Hall of Honor posthumously honors Americans whose distinctive contributions to the field of labor have improved the quality of life for millions of people yesterday, today, and for generations to come,” Department officials wrote. . “Recipients are inducted into the Hall of Honor at a formal ceremony held at the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., or at special events across the country.”
In January 2020, COVID-19 had just entered the public consciousness in the United States. No one was sure how it was spreading, only that it was spreading fast and killing people.
For several weeks the United States was in lockdown, but it finally became clear that work needed to be done that couldn’t wait for a vaccine to be developed.
Read: White House says free at-home COVID testing ends Friday
Those without whom the country could not function were considered “essential workers”, and the world discovered that many of the lowest paid people were needed most.
Essential workers have been called in to stock shelves, transport goods, maintain equipment, enforce laws, care for the sick, and cover all other duties the United States relies on. And, as a National Library of Medicine study pointed out in the early months of the pandemic, they were risking their lives to do the job.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear how dependent society is on essential workers,” NLM officials wrote. “But these same workers are often left unprotected by governments and systems that have failed to provide them with enough personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies and resources to do their jobs.”
More than one million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with a disproportionate share of the losses suffered by essential workers. The losses continue to mount, with a 51-year-old Michigan corrections officer dying of the disease as recently as 2022.
On Tuesday, US Department of Labor officials said essential workers would be recognized for their sacrifice. They will join previous honorees like 9/11 relief workers, Chinese rail workers, the Reverend Addie Wyatt, John L. Lewis and pioneers of the farmworker movement.
Department officials wrote, “To recognize their sacrifices and tireless efforts to support their communities and move our country forward amid the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor will induct Coronavirus Pandemic Essential Workers into the Hall. of honor of the department.
An employee of The Village Dentist in Canton, Michigan wrote to the Department of Labor of an example of the efforts of those who had to endure the worst times of the pandemic.
“[Dr. Van Hook] ensured that we would adhere to the new protocols and that any patient who came through our doors would be safe,” they wrote. “He never gave up on our patients and saw the emergencies throughout the lockdown.”
In the May 2020 article, National Library of Medicine researchers looked forward to an “end” to the pandemic, or at least a time when the United States would be able to address the shortcomings exposed by COVID-19. .
“When this pandemic is over, we cannot allow a return to the status quo ante,” they wrote. “We must ensure that essential workers can do their jobs safely and that they have adequate health care and paid sick leave to protect their health beyond extraordinary pandemics.”
The induction ceremony will be broadcast live on Thursday, September 1 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
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