This pandemic has upended everybody’s way of life. Here at home, the government has extended the enhanced community quarantine to keep people in their homes.
Indeed, the need to prevent the spread of the virus trumps any other concerns, even though other issues like greatly diminished economic activity, resulting in the loss of jobs and earning opportunities especially for the poor, need to be addressed as well.
The numbers released Sunday by the Department of Health do not inspire much optimism. Four weeks into lockdown, it appears as though we are a long way from flattening the curve. The number of deaths—50—has by far been the biggest rise for a single day. Two hundred ninety-seven have died.
There are 220 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID patients to 4,648. No downward trend appears to be in the horizon anytime soon.
The people are confused and scared, and insecure about what the future will bring. Millions are hungry. We need our leaders to be data-driven and deliberate. We need each decision to be made with foresight. We need them to be transparent.
The national government, for instance, should not engage in self-congratulation about what they are doing, or distort the truth about the action—or inaction—done in the past. They should not exaggerate the results of their efforts, play down threats, make faulty comparisons between our situation and that of others, or tell outright lies about applying the force of the law equally when it is plain that some individuals have it better, or worse, than others.
They announced that mass testing will finally begin tomorrow—we await the details of this, because we believe that only mass testing will give us the true extent of COVID-19’s effects and inform strategies on how to effectively deal with it while we wait for a cure.
Local executives should also be honest about how they procure goods and services during these extraordinary times, and how they deliver these to their constituents.
Hospitals and other institutions should not muzzle their staff who speak about about processes that need attention and improvement. This is not the time to prop up one’s image. The lives of those who save lives are on the line.
Likewise, patients and their families should also be transparent about their travel history, exposure and symptoms. This is so those who are attending to them can take the necessary precautions, and those who may have interacted with them can isolate themselves.
This is not the time to compete with one another over who gets the job done. It’s not the time to worry about stigma because all of us have been scarred already by the virus and the threat it brings. And while lying is unacceptable at any time, it is egregious during these extraordinary days.
The lack of transparency breeds confusion and encourages malicious minds to find ways to manipulate others, thus worsening the situation. Dishonesty weakens our ability to fight and fight well.
Lies cost lives.