“We are going to be OK”: Doctor pulled over for speeding amazed by policeman’s actions
A US doctor received a meaningful present after she was pulled over by a police officer for speeding.
Dr Sarosh Ashraf Janjua, a cardiologist at a coronavirus quarantine unit in Duluth, was pulled over by State Trooper Brian Schwartz for speeding on her way to work on March 21.
But instead of a fine, the strooper gave her a firm warning along with five N95 filtering face masks that were allocated for him by the state of Minnesota.
“He … firmly told me it was very irresponsible of me to be speeding, especially since I would not only take up resources if I got into an accident, but would also not be in a position to help patients,” Janjua wrote on a Facebook post.
“I waited for him to write me a ticket. Instead, he told me he was going to let me off with a warning.
“He reached in to hand me what I assumed was my license back … Five N95 masks, from the supply the state had given him for his protection.”
Janjua said she has been having fears that supplies of adequate protective equipment would dwindle, putting emergency responders and healthcare workers like her at greater risk.
“This complete stranger, who owed me nothing and is more on the front lines than I am, shared his precious masks with me, without my even asking,” Janjua wrote.
“We are going to be OK.”
Schwartz gave Janjua his masks after noticing “what appeared to be two used N95 masks in Ashraf’s purse that he assumed she was reusing”, the Minnesota State Patrol told CNN.
In early March, officials from the US Department of Health and Human Services said the country had only about 35 million of the 3.5 billion N95 masks needed in the event of a full-blown pandemic.
The White House is forecasting that between 100,000 and 240,000 people in the US will die from the coronavirus.
“As sobering a number as that is, we should be prepared for it,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.