Learned helplessness is awful. Hopefully, when Covid-19 is over, you will welcome those helpful maids back with open arms. As the first friends of your children, maybe there’ll be more appreciation for what they do for others in order to survive. That’s especially so if other sectors of Indian society are not functioning without them.

In the maids’ over-crowded homes, I hope they aren't struck down with the pandemic. They seem more likely to get it in poor or unsanitary conditions. I’d like those who love and respect their maids to see them again when this is all over. For that not to happen would be too devastating.

If maids are the backbone of a majority of family houses in India, you need that backbone to stay strong. I want those people to live, want all the people everywhere regardless of personal wealth to survive.

In Australia, most people don’t have maids or even cleaners. Since caronavirus struck though, we have a far greater appreciation for those in some of our poorly paid jobs.

Cleaners in schools and hospitals, those in sanitation who take away our garbage from the curb side, all early childhood workers, waitresses and cooks on minimum wage working for multinational take-away food chains, most of them have continued to work through the lock downs here. They are now classed as essential workers, recognised because society doesn’t function as it should without them.

They are true heroes of our time.

They deserve our thanks and applause for once, like the first responders and health workers.

No matter what class or experience you have, anyone can learn to do what the Indian maids do. Still, I can't help feeling sorry for their plight above all those complaining about them not being around to clean in India.