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Frontline Essential Workers

• First responders. These are the people communities depend on in emergencies, such as firefighters and police.

• Education. Making sure children can grow academically even during a pandemic means vaccinating teachers, their support staff, and daycare employees.

• Food and agriculture. Many of the outbreaks at the onset of the pandemic were in meatpacking facilities and other food-processing plants.

• Manufacturing. These jobs (producing goods) cannot be done remotely.

• Corrections workers. Prisons are the types of closed facilities where the coronavirus can spread quickly.

• U.S. Postal Service workers. The more than 490,000 people in this group make sure your packages get delivered, along with providing other key services.

• Public transit workers. These are the people who make it possible for other essential workers to get to their jobs.

• Grocery store workers. Keeping supermarket employees safe makes it possible for others to stay fed while restaurants are temporarily shut down.

Other Essential Workers

• Transportation and logistics. These are the workers who ensure that stores’ shelves remain stocked and other key supplies get where they're needed.

• Food service. This one could get tricky, as states decide which facilities and restaurants are big enough for their employees to get vaccinated in this group.

• Shelter and housing. These are the construction workers and contractors responsible for the construction and repair of houses and other buildings.

• Finance. Families need financial advisers to help them navigate the recession that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Information technology and communication. Videoconferencing and other internet technologies have become a lifeline for many families and businesses during 2020.

• Energy. Many of the jobs in this field, which includes mining and oil extraction, cannot be done remotely.

• Media. Making sure the public is accurately informed is vital during this public health crisis.

• Legal. While demand for legal services has declined significantly in 2020, these professionals remain essential for many proceedings.

• Engineers. Workers in these occupations play a major public safety role by guaranteeing that projects meet the appropriate standards and guidelines.

• Water and wastewater. Keeping the water supply safe means being able to keep these professionals on the job.