Ten gentle reminders to social workers in the pandemic

Once in a century, in the era of global warming and globalization, there are international warnings about the outbreak of the virus Covid-19. People from the East to the West, and from the North to the South, are facing increasing threats from potential isolation, infection and even death. We are uncertain about when it will end and where outbreaks might occur, or who is afflicted. Human interactions are tempered by uncertainty and even fear that a colleague or ourselves could unknowingly be contagious. Our lives are changing. We have been reminded that acts of nature bring such widespread pandemonium to everyday life. All of this brings home the stark reality that we live in one interconnected world and as one humanity. The virus does not recognize different governments, money, ideologies, national boundaries, ethnicity, class or identity. Our response must be as one Global Village, and social work can help lead this.