Lesson From COVID-19: French Citizens Learn To Appreciate Ambulances On The Streets

JAKARTA - Those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are not only medical personnel who are fighting at the forefront of resistance in hospitals. Those ambulance crews who go back and forth to pick up positive patients are also vulnerable. Moreover, the number of transmission rates is increasing.

Obviously, this left some of the crew feeling exhausted and worried. However, they are still happy as revealed by the boss of the French ambulance crew, Fabrice Lancelot. He felt that when the COVID-19 crisis hit France, many French citizens gave them respect.

As reported by Reuters, Lancelot, who works daily for the private ambulance company UMPSA Pro, proved that French citizens who were once famous for being impatient on the streets, now when they meet an ambulance they start to respect.

"I have the impression that there is a little more respect on the roads," said Lancelot, who has spent the last few weeks transporting patients around the southern suburbs of the French capital.

"There will definitely be a little traffic jam, if we get in a little bit. But, if someone annoys you or doesn't make way for you by mistake, they'll apologize by raising their hand. It's something we haven't seen before," he said.

Not only on the road. With the death toll rising on Wednesday to 15,729, many French citizens began to show their support by stepping out of their balconies to applaud medical personnel at 8:00 p.m.

It is this injection of passion that has provided more than enough moral boost for the ambulance crew in suburban Paris. "We feel more valued," said Jean-Manuel Robles, another member of the ambulance crew from Pro UMPSA.

Just imagine, about two weeks ago, Robles and his colleagues were able to transport about ten people with symptoms of COVID-19. This means that he has been working under pressure for weeks and is haunted by fears of contracting the virus.

However, Robles said the appreciation of the French people could help him get past those worries. "We're seeing a little more solidarity with the ambulance crew. This allows us, as professionals to raise our morale a bit and continue to do what we do."