University students may be some of the most eligible candidates to work on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, as younger people are less at risk of contracting the virus than older people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in its Q+A on coronaviruses.
A stronger immunity to the virus, combined with a financial motivation to work during the summer, can make healthy university students the perfect candidates for working on the frontlines in essential services.
Students working in grocery and retail services
“As a young person in good health, I feel confident going into work,” said Ryan Gotkin, a second-year concurrent education student at Brock University.
Gotkin is also a frontline worker in the garden centre at the Real Canadian Superstore.
“Inside the store, there’s the regular things that all the other grocery stores are doing, like when people return buggies, they get disinfected and cleaned,” Gotkin said of the efforts his workplace has made to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“All of the registers are fully enclosed in Plexiglas [and] latex gloves are provided to everybody,” he added. “We also have a handwashing station inside the front foyer where you get your buggy.”
Lauren Kerans, a second-year journalism student at Carleton University, is also working on the frontlines at Walmart.
“We always get our temperature checked in the morning before our shift to see if we have a fever or not,” she said. “They give us gloves, there’s face masks available, but it’s optional if you want to wear them or not.”
Kerans added that all the aisles are directed so they’re only one way, to prevent shoppers from crossing each other in the hallways.
“It’s good for us because it’s less hectic and less stressful and it’s just nice having a peaceful Walmart instead of a crazy [Walmart] with everyone lined up,” Kerans said.
Although the number of new cases in Canada has been in decline since May 3, Health Canada reported over one thousand new cases on May 10.
The WHO reported workplaces can lower the risk of spreading COVID-19 by promoting good hand and respiratory hygiene, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, and ensuring no one enters the workplace while experiencing symptoms such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath.
Although these practices are essential to stop the spread of COVID-19, some frontline workers said there is little oversight from the federal and provincial governments as to how to implement these practices and procedures.
Construction services and COVID-19
Adam Tabac is a third-year student at George Brown College and the owner of ACT Renovations — a construction company in the Greater Toronto Area. He has been working on the frontlines completing necessary renovations and repairs.
Tabac said he never got any specific instructions from the government as to how to implement proper safety procedures or how to use PPE.
“The only information I got is the same as everybody got,” Tabac said. “Just general announcements to everyone, absolutely nothing geared towards construction or people who are still working.”
With little oversight, individual companies must use their own discretion when distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) and implementing hygienic procedures.
Tabac and his staff remain outside peoples’ houses for most of their jobs. When they are in close proximity with others, or are at risk of touching contaminated surfaces, they wear full respirator masks and gloves.
“Sometimes I’ve been asked if I’m taking full precautions for COVID-19. I say just absolutely, we’re making sure we’re safe and keep our distance, we wear gloves, we wear a mask, I won’t come near you or in your house,” Tabac said.
Both Kerans and Gotkin also said they wear gloves and masks to work, and say they would call in sick if they experienced any symptoms.
Students on the frontlines of our healthcare system
Students on the frontlines in the medical field are also taking necessary precautions for their safety and the safety of others.
“I’m a part of RNAO, which is the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. And they’ve been sending out constant emails about looking for student nurses and looking for them to go work in long-term care homes,” said Rayanna Dannis, a third-year nursing student at the University of Ottawa.
Dannis will be working in the long-term care unit at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center for the next few months.
“Usually in one summer I switch back between doing both the transitional care and one-to-one, but this summer I just got the call and they said that I’ll be doing transitional care, so more [personal support] work,” Dannis said.
“As a nursing student I kind of feel like it is part of my job and part of my duty to do something about [the pandemic],” she added.
When it comes to PPE, Dannis said the nurses will receive one surgical mask per day, as supplies are low.
“The biggest thing is just for people to know that supplies are scarce and that if they have any, to donate for sure,” she said.
Although young people are more immune to the virus than most older people, students on the frontlines still assume the risk of exposing their family members to the virus.
“We kind of hesitated at first about the idea of working,” Kerans said. “Whenever I come home I just hit the shower, take all my clothes off, wash them, and I never wear the same pants to work again.”
Kerans added that it is particularly difficult to manage transmission prevention, since she lives with her mom who often visits her grandma.
Dannis said the risk is less imminent for her, as there are few active cases in Thunder Bay. There are five cases in the Thunder Bay region as of May 12, according to the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Managing stress on the frontlines
For all of these students, simply going to work can be stressful due to the risk of exposing themselves to COVID-19 — and they aren’t alone.
Thirty-three per cent of Canadians reported experiencing stress “regularly” in April 2020, compared to 17 per cent of Canadians in the month before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Nanos survey.
The biggest concerns for Canadians in the Nanos survey were personal financial hardship, job loss, and spreading the virus.
Students on the frontlines said they deal with this stress by relying on their coworkers for support — whether it’s work-related or not.
“I definitely feel more comfortable with my coworkers, because I see them almost all day. I know they’re washing their hands, I know they’re using hand sanitizer,” Gotkin said.
Kerans said with increased demand during COVID-19, it’s also important to rely on coworkers to help compartmentalize tasks.
“I’m definitely just kind of slowing it down,” Kerans said. “The demand for online groceries skyrocketed since all of this started. We have well over 100 orders a day, and that’s a lot for just a small town like Brockville so it definitely gets busy.”
“I just try not to think too much about it, just kind of do one thing at a time and try to rely on my other employees as much as I can,” she added.
For other frontline workers, sharing experiences makes a world of difference.
“Being able to talk to my sister who also does this kind of work is helpful and then, talking to my other friends who are in nursing,” Dannis said.
All of these students on the frontlines emphasized the importance of everyone playing their part in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Kerans recommended that people continue to follow social distancing measures and consider the safety of others when leaving the house.
“Be kind and just thank your frontline employees whenever you can, because it definitely goes a long way when we have a nice encounter with a customer, it makes the day a lot better,” Kerans said.
Featured image by Jasmine Bhimani.
