Column: Jack McDonough Faces Danger at Work
by Patrick McDonough
Jack’s phone rang. A call from the Mass State Police letting him know that one of his coworkers was showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Jack McDonough has been a dispatcher for the Massachusetts State police for 24 years, always knowing that regardless of the situation in the outside world, he had to report to work.
With the stay at home order in place, much has changed for his workday. “Following the stay at home order, we are receiving fewer routine calls for car accidents, service, and warrant calls to list a few,” he said.
McDonough is the type to always clean his console at the beginning of each shift. “When I get into work, I do a complete wipe down of my console using disinfectant wipes. You never know how dirty they could be,” said McDonough.
McDonough is aware of the dangers that come with the job but contracting a virus such as Covid-19 has never been a huge concern, until it happened.
“This happened very early on during the outbreak, I got a call informing me that a co-worker is being checked for Covid-19,” said McDonough.
Hearing the news was unnerving to McDonough, thinking he had been exposed to the virus was the last thing anyone wanted during these times. Considering he has a family that he sees every day meant he would have exposed them as well.
It took 5 days for the results of a test to come in, each day waiting to know the verdict. His mind thinking of what could happen if the news was bad. In the end she came back negative for Covid-19. A relief to everyone who would have been exposed, along with their families.
“It would make anyone reconsider why they do what they do, especially essential workers. But we need to do our job to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth and the State Troopers who are out there every day 24/7,” McDonough said.
Thanks for reading my article! My name is Patrick McDonough and like you, I am stuck in my house wishing I was doing anything but stay away from my friends and loved ones. But I know this will all be over soon and life will go back to normal! Stay happy and healthy!
