Yukon front-line workers say they're exhausted as pandemic approaches 2nd anniversary

At this point in the pandemic, Whitehorse-based early childhood educator Sara Thompson says she feels underappreciated.

She thinks she's been "left behind" and feels the government hasn't recognized that daycare workers are facing the same risks as other front-line workers like teachers or healthcare employees.

Thompson, who works with unvaccinated children all day, said she changes from her work clothes before entering her home because she worries about bringing COVID-19 back to her grandmother.

"I'm comforting children throughout the day and … children have no sense of boundaries," said Thompson.

"So, you're covered in multiple children's germs … I feel like I'm on eggshells every time I go to work. I don't know whether I'll catch something."

With the spread of the Omicron variant, the anxiety has intensified. Thompson says daycares are now dealing with constant staff shortages and frequent closures due to COVID-19 cases and dwindling attendance.

"I feel like it's kind of out of control at this point," said Thompson. "We are kind of just waiting until the next centre closes. It just feels like it's never-ending." 

Even Thompson's paycheck is uncertain because she doesn't have sick leave and has to take unpaid time off work when she's waiting on COVID-19 test results or isolating at home.

She said she wants people to know that early childhood educators are "more essential than you think," noting that without people like her, many parents wouldn't be able to go to work every day.

Constant uncertainty, says school bus driver

School bus driver Kim Solonick says the uncertainty of her job over the past years has created a lot of anxiety.

"I mean everyday you kind of show up and hope for the best, hope that the school is still going to be open that day and that you still have a job," said Solonick.

Due to frequent staffing shortages and school closures, Solonick's bus routes are constantly changing.

"If you don't have a supply of alternate drivers, then those routes are pivoted where possible," said Solonick. "We've got drivers doing two to three routes at a time or unfortunately, they're cancelled."

Solonick, who pivoted from her career as a tour bus driver at the onset of the pandemic, said she's had to work "many more hours a week" than she did before to make the same amount of money, and she's "exhausted."

That's on top of the fear of contracting COVID-19 from a passenger. 

Ultimately, Solonick says the one thing that would make her job better is if people were kinder to one another.

'Conscious effort to look after yourself'

Darla-Jean Lindstrom, a support worker with First Nations Health at Whitehorse General Hospital, said she found herself getting numb and burned out as her workload increased.

She said the pandemic magnified the demand for her work.

"We saw more suicides, [overdoses], more self-harm, more mental health issues, just really taxing everybody," said Lindstrom.

"It's just been a really difficult couple of years and it's a conscious effort to look after yourself, to do self-care."

Lindstrom, who's a Carcross/Tagish First Nation elder, called her colleagues "rockstars", said she couldn't do her job without the support of her peers

She said it's a difficult time for many, but it's time for people to work together and be kind to each other

"I think that a holistic approach to health and well-being is needed," said Lindstrom. 

"It's a 'we' thing, not necessarily a 'me' thing. We're all hurting. We're all on tilt, whether we have wealth or not, or have education or not, or have housing or not."