- I retired almost a year ago, a colleague called and asked if I could work.

Lars-Göran Skarph answers questions in a recently established telephone line for the public health centers in Region Halland. The purpose is to relieve the pressure of the health centers and 1177.

- We are a number of retirees here, old colleagues to me.

In Region Halland, around 60 pensioners have been contacted and shown an interest in working. The region has so far employed 12 people.

Do you feel you are doing any good?

- Yes indeed. Many people are involved in the news reporting, but they still want a personal contact and, for example, ask if they belong to a risk group.

Returning and pollen season

Since Lars-Göran Skarph started working on March 16, the pressure on the helpline has decreased and the questions have to a certain extent changed in character. Several people who heard about this past week are returnees from Spain and Italy who wonder how they should act.

- We also have a pollen season that has started now and then, they wonder, "Should I be at home now, I recognize this as my pollen allergy - but at work they say I have to sniff I must be home."

"Risk of becoming infected yourself"

One of the conditions of care is that the pensioners who work are not over 70 years. Those who have now become employees of Region Halland sit in the office environment at the offices, not in the clinical environment outside the health centers.

You have previously worked as a nurse out in the business, would you like to do it again?

- If you have to go out and work among patients who have corona, you have to think about the risk of being infected yourself, so I probably did not think so. But I can see, everything can change.

How long can you imagine working?

- My hope is that the outbreak will end in the summer, otherwise I will have to take a position again in that case.