For ICU nurse Lauren Leander, days off are a rare chance for her to recover during these times. Since the beginning of the outbreak, Leander has been working full shifts at a hospital in her state of Arizona.
However, as soon as she got her day off, Leander put on a fresh set of personal protective equipments (PPEs) and headed to her state capitol. She was joined by a few of her colleagues at the steps of the Capitol. They all stood in silence as a big crowd protested that the governor reopen the state.
With her arms crossed, Leander said that she only spoke when someone approached too close. Many protesters argued that Leander and the other nurses that showed up were fake nurses, with many of them saying outright that the whole pandemic was a global hoax.
The nurse explained that she and her colleagues kept silent because they felt no need to respond to people who did not believe they were real nurses. She added that the protestors were very heated in their arguments.
In Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey has issued a lockdown order for all Arizonians until the end of this month. Local news sources report that the protestors who gathered in front of the state capitol said that the economy has already suffered enough.
Leander made it clear that she did not hold any personal grudges against anyone. As a nurse, she hoped that people will not see nurses as the enemy and that even if one of the protestors are hospitalized, she and her colleagues will do what they have been trained to do.
She said that the recent rallies in the neighboring state of Colorado inspired her to show solidarity with her fellow healthcare workers. After seeing the news online, Leander texted a few of her colleagues who joined her at the state capitol.
The nurses stood against a 1,000 protesters who gathered for the “Patriot’s Day Rally”. Leander emphasized that she did not have any political motives. She said that nurses were heeding scientific evidence, and expressed her hope that everyone do the same in the fight against the virus.
Leander said that she has not been able to see her family since the pandemic broke out. However, she said that the worst part was witnessing the physical and emotional pain that patients have to endure because of this virus.
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Replaced!