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Covid-19: At the peak of pandemic, this UAE frontliner calmed people in quarantine

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Dubai - Al Busaidi is among the many Emirati women who have worked as frontline staff and walked an extra mile while carrying out their duties during the pandemic.

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by

Suneeti Ahuja Kohli

Published: Wed 25 Aug 2021, 9:16 PM

Last updated: Thu 26 Aug 2021, 1:35 PM

When Covid hit people in the UAE, Amal Al Busaidi had an important mission: To calm people in quarantine and assure them that this, too, shall pass.

Al Busaidi is among the many Emirati women who have worked as frontline staff and walked an extra mile while carrying out their duties during the pandemic. She has been serving at Ghantoot quarantine facility since the start of the pandemic, a task that required her to be in the best of spirits despite the uncertainty and give succour to people who had landed in that facility.

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“My mission was to communicate with the quarantined people on a daily basis so that I can ensure their safety and also calm them down and reassure them that it is a period that will eventually pass. I also provided them with their needs throughout the day,” said Al Busaidi, who is also the head of the technical support unit at Emirates Red Crescent.

Asked if she found the job challenging, she said challenges are defined through people’s perceptions. “If we perceive them to be easy, we will be able to overcome them with God’s will.”

She started each day with faith in her leadership and confidence in herself.

Her optimism, in fact, helped her attend to people of different nationalities, who often struggled with anxiety.

“It can be a bit challenging to settle and reassure hundreds of people who come from different backgrounds and lifestyles. But I was able to manage, and it has turned out to be an empowering experience,” the Emirati said.

Al Busaidi’s professional career started early in 2007, and she eventually joined the Emirates Red Crescent Authority in 2014, heading the technical support unit of its Department of Information Technology.

“It is a field the requires us to be innovative and do the best in it while we express the spirit of humanity through caring for others,” she said.

In 2019, she completed her military training, which prepared her to take on any role demanding physical and mental agility and fortitude.

Amid the pandemic, her mission came with great responsibilities and required sacrifices on the personal front, too.

Striking a balance between work life and family life can be daunting but good communication helped her stay connected on both fronts.

“In the beginning, it was difficult for me to even go home because I was in direct contact with those coming from abroad, and I didn’t know if they were carriers of the virus or not.

“I was constantly worried about my mother as she is old, so I wouldn’t go home. However, I communicated with her every day to make sure that she is in good health,” said Al Busaidi, who is proud to be an Emirati and would not have had this journey in any other way.

“It is more than enough for me to proudly say that I am part of this country that is extremely successful in ensuring the safety of its citizen and residents. I am grateful for all the support that my country has continuously given me since I was a child until today.”

suneeti@khaleejtimes.com

Suneeti Ahuja Kohli

Published: Wed 25 Aug 2021, 9:16 PM

Last updated: Thu 26 Aug 2021, 1:35 PM

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