The news agency AFP recently asked photojournalists around the world to take portraits of workers at their job, and to ask them questions about their current situation, amid varying coronavirus lockdowns. #

Olga Sokolova, a veterinary surgeon, poses next to her dog patient at the ZooAcademy veterinary clinic in Moscow on April 21, 2020, during a strict lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Sokolova said veterinarians can't stop or suspend their activity, because pets are like children. #

Thiago Firmino, a local leader, stands in a protective suit while disinfecting the Santa Marta favela in Rio de Janeiro, on April 20, 2020, during the pandemic. Firmino said he is prepared to take risks and fight for his favela, where he was born and raised, and where his family and friends live. According to him, the favela has to fight its own problems because the government is not going to do it, and the coronavirus is just another problem for its residents, who die from stray bullets and from lack of access to all sorts of public services. He and his brother Tandy are trying to protect their neighborhood out of love, he declared. #

Fatou Traore, a worker with the Cremona hospital's cleaning staff, poses prior to starting her shift in the COVID-19 intensive-therapy area on April 22, 2020, in Cremona, Ivory Coast, during the country's lockdown. #

Carla Marina Figueiredo, a postal worker, wears a face shield in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 21, 2020. For Figueiredo, working during the coronavirus outbreak is not a risk because, aside from working outside, she thinks she has the right gear and takes the necessary precautions. For her, being a postal worker is a duty because a lot of people depend on the mail to get their allowance to pay their bills. #

Patrick Blake, a funeral director, stands outside Saint Ninnidh's church in Derrylin, Northern Ireland, on April 22, 2020. Blake said there is no option but to take COVID-19 risks, because he cannot pick and choose the funerals he is asked to handle. The Blake family has provided the community with funeral services for more than 130 years, and feels a duty to deliver beyond the actual funeral arrangements, providing face-to-face access, advice, and support for bereaved families whose previous generations also used their funeral services. #

Kunio Hayakawa, a fishmonger, poses in his shop in Tokyo on April 21, 2020. Hayakawa decided to keep his shop open, because he wanted to do "everything for Shinagawa people." He said there were no changes due to the virus, with the same number of customers, and that he "will stay open until the end" of the crisis, or until the government says otherwise. #

Zainab Sharifi, a baker, carries loaves of bread outside her bakery in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 23, 2020. Sharifi, a mother of seven, said that "hunger will kill my family before the coronavirus if I do not work," so she continues to work at the bakery to support her family and to keep fulfilling her customers' needs. #

Maria da Paz Pereira, head keeper of the primates at the Lisbon Zoo, wears a face mask in her work space on April 23, 2020. She does not feel that she and her co-workers are taking a risk, because the zoo is a very safe place and they take all protective measures to prevent any possible infection in the animals. She says they assume their profession with great responsibility and with all the inherent risks, not only during the pandemic. #

Stoyanka Dimitrova, a tram driver, poses on the steps of a tram in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 23, 2020. Dimitrova continues working despite the novel coronavirus health crisis because she feels someone has to do the job, and she enjoys the work. She does not consider her job a sacrifice. "Everyone chooses his profession on his own and should carry his cross," she said. #

Iman Abu Areesh, the coordinator of the Emergency and Aid committee for the governor's office in Hebron, the West Bank city, poses beside stacks of supplies on April 22, 2020. She said that she loves her job because it allows her to communicate with people in need, and during the pandemic, she feels that she's in the right place. #

Ramon Montesinos Roman, a shepherd, poses with his flock of sheep in Ronda, Spain, on April 23, 2020. His only protective measure against COVID-19, he jokes, is his stick for walking in the field. He is not in contact with other people, so he doesn't wear a face mask. He does carry out strict sanitary controls for the sheep; they are marked with blue dye after they've had a blood test. He considers it his duty to feed and care for the animals, because it is necessary to maintain the food chain. #

Thierry Pauly, a garbage collector, stands beside a garbage truck in Mulhouse, France, on April 24, 2020. Pauly's shift ends earlier than normal, to avoid groups of people at the depot. His safety measures against COVID-19 include masks and existing standard equipment. Pauly does his work, which he chose 18 years ago, with a professional attitude, and for him it remains a duty. #

Armando Garcia, a dog walker, in the La Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City on April 22, 2020. Garcia believes his work helps alleviate the stress of dogs whose owners remain in quarantine during the pandemic. #

Sushma Maurya poses with cauliflower on her vegetable farm in New Delhi on April 23, 2020. Maurya, who was both born and married into a farming family, said that farming is the only thing she knows, and that "farmers must continue working so that people living in cities can get fresh vegetables." #

Arjun Shrestha, a cleaner, poses in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on April 20, 2020. Shrestha said he does his job despite the danger of being exposed to the novel coronavirus because he needs to make a living. #

Karem Khalafallah, a deliveryman, poses while on duty in Cairo late on April 23, 2020. Khalafallah, who delivers fresh vegetables to homes, said he continues to work in order to save money to get married in the near future, and to help his family. He added that working during the pandemic is his only way to survive. #

Domingo Reina, a motorcycle mechanic, stands in his workshop in Barcelona, Spain, on April 22, 2020. Reina does not feel that he is taking any risks while working during the pandemic, because he wears a face mask and gloves and works alone, behind closed doors. He thinks working is not a sacrifice or a duty, but a necessity. He is happy to have helped some of the neighborhood doctors who had problems with their motorcycles in recent weeks. #

Tatiana Rcaiby, a pharmacist, works in her pharmacy in the coastal town of Byblos, Lebanon, on April 20, 2020. Rcaiby is very happy to serve the community regardless of the situation. She said pharmacists have always been considered an essential part of the health system and that they do their work with great pleasure. #

Gregory Stark, a laundry-shop employee, poses in Miami on April 17, 2020. Stark feels blessed for having a job and feels obligated to work, because not everybody has a washing machine at home. He wears a face mask and gloves all day to keep him protected as he helps customers bring their laundry in from their cars and sort it. #

Rosy Varrella, a newspaper-kiosk owner, in Milan on April 23, 2020. Varrella considers her work a public utility because it provides information to customers. Because many elderly people no longer leave their home, the kiosk now makes deliveries, which she feels is a duty. She has worries, but takes precautions and maintains safe distances. #

Penny Ewbank, an on-call firefighter for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, poses outside the fire station in Hartley Wintney, England, on April 22, 2020. Ewbank said she is trained to do a particular job and if she can use those skills to help others, she won't hesitate. She believes that her job is both a duty and a sacrifice. #

Marjan Andjelkovic, a bus driver, at work in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 23, 2020. Andjelkovic does not feel that he is making a sacrifice by doing his job, but sees it as his normal routine and an obligation to set a good example for others by doing it. He wears all the necessary protective gear while on the job to show responsibility for society, his family, and himself. #

Ika Sri Purnamaningsih, an ob-gyn, poses in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 22, 2020. Purnamaningsih believes that though it is a risk, it is her obligation and responsibility to keep taking care of patients, but she is afraid she might get infected with the coronavirus and carry it home. She says she and her colleagues follow the protocols closely, using proper hygiene and personal protective equipment, limiting their time at work, and handling only emergency cases, "plus pray[ing] to God, the almighty." #

Susana Tuara, a greengrocer, works at her fruit-and-vegetable store during the lockdown in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 21, 2020. Tuara said she listens to people's needs: They asked her not to close, and that it is her job. She likes it; working is not a sacrifice for her. #

Helena Gonzalvo Sanchez, a mounted police officer, photographed on patrol in Valencia, Spain, on April 22, 2020. Sanchez believes it is her responsibility and duty to work and feels proud to be able to contribute to this situation through her work. #

Javorka Lazic, a baker, poses in Mladenovac, Serbia, on April 21, 2020. Lazic always has protective equipment with her and gets her face mask and gloves from the owner of the bakery where she works. Her work remains the same as before the pandemic. She thinks that the bakery business is very important and should remain open, because not everyone knows how to make bread or other products they need. #

Caroline Belles, head of Puzzle Mania, poses in her shop in Barcelona, Spain, on April 22, 2020. Belles works with two other people, so they use gloves and masks and stay a proper distance from one another while working behind closed doors. She does not feel that she is taking any risks, because she lives alone. She travels on her bicycle and follows safety protocols with colleagues. For her, it is neither a sacrifice nor a duty, but a pleasure to be able to offer anyone who enjoys puzzles a hobby, and especially a moment of mental relaxation. She says it is something she feels each time she receives a message of support and gratitude for the work they do. #

Maria Dimitrova, a Roma health mediator, stands in front of a police checkpoint at the entrance of Fakulteta, the biggest Roma-populated district in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 21, 2020. Dimitrova takes the risk to work because, for her, people are more important than getting sick. She considers her job a responsibility, not a sacrifice, and the volume of work has increased since the start of the pandemic. Dimitrova and her co-workers are helping locals fill out paperwork so they are allowed to leave their neighborhood to go to work. They also assist the police after checkpoint controls went into force in Fakulteta, after 10 coronavirus cases were reported in the area in mid-April. #

Robin Barclay, a cleaning contractor, poses on a street in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 18, 2020. Barclay feels that by sanitizing areas with high human interaction, he can help slow the spread of the new coronavirus, raise the spirits of his community, and save lives. He considers it his duty to help in this instance. As one of the directors of a company that offers professional sanitizing and stocks the chemicals required, he feels it is a natural step to offer sanitizing services for free to vulnerable areas and people. He said that ultimately, if he can prevent just one person from contracting the virus, it will all be worth it. #