In a short period, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare systems and societies worldwide. ICUs have been described as ‘the frontline of a war’ against the disease  Critical care nurses (CCNs) in this frontline were and are still engaging with some of the most challenging ethical issues of our time; these include limited resources, a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and professionals’ obligations to care for patients.  At the same time, they were expected to provide person-centred care (PCC) with quality, as they had done before the pandemic.