The pandemic of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has brought theoretical and
practical challenges in the scientific and social fields, intensifying already
existing problems, such as the relationship between working conditions and the
health of the working class. Workers are key players both in the control and the
spread of the disease, and especially those in the healthcare sector since they
are necessarily in contact with other people. Therefore, the present article
aimed to reflect, from an occupational health perspective, on the guidelines of
the Brazilian Ministry of Health, expressed in publications on the clinical
management of suspected, confirmed, or influenza-like cases, and the
recommendations for the protection of workers who are in charge of treating the
2019 novel coronavirus disease. The present analysis highlighted the importance
of the development of more comprehensive measures by the State that are in line
with the reality of many workers in the context of the pandemic, thus
transcending the prescriptive, biological, and individual character that
disregards the social determinations that guide the possible care measures.