"Authorities have attributed this to widespread complacency and violation of health protocols."
Alarming as it is, the surge in COVID-19 cases should not cause panic among us, particularly in Metro Manila.
Indeed, we are daunted by the numbers that have placed the country tops in Southeast Asia with the highest total of COVID-19 cases at 631,320 including 12,848 deaths as of Wednesday, March 17.
The Department of Health (DOH) said active cases reached 61,733, of which 93.0 percent were mild, 3.8 percent asymptomatic, and the rest are either severe or critical.
The surge shows how easily the coronavirus is transmitted from one person to another, as health authorities had warned us time and again.
Both DOH officials and private hospitals strongly expressed concern over the trend and warned the healthcare system might be “overwhelmed” at some point if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
These pronouncements, as well as the daily reporting of figures, have inevitably caused anxiety among many people who now worry about an imminent lockdown.
Many have resorted to panic-buying at grocery stores in Metro Manila where several barangays have been placed under localized lockdown due to COVID-19 and Sars-Cov2 variant outbreak.
It’s a shame that we’re back in this predicament when, just three weeks ago, we were already looking forward to graduating to a nationwide Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) and eventually to the so-called New Normal.
We would like to believe that we were close to striking a balance between enforcing the health and safety standards and allowing the reopening of business operations, particularly in Metro Manila.
Authorities have attributed this surge to widespread complacency and violation of health protocols.
Ironically, a group of health professionals called on the government and business operators to “stop blaming the public for disregarding protocols” and causing the spread of coronavirus anew.
Instead, the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC) said the authorities and businesses should implement measures that would ensure the safety of the public.
We all know that we have quite a number of kababayan who fail to observe the minimum health and safety standards.
We see them everywhere, not having face masks and face shields or not wearing them properly when they are in public places.
Many of us are not washing our hands or using disinfectants as often as we should.
And, many fail to keep social or physical distance from each other wherever or whenever they should.
Still, it is not the fault of the Filipino people that the abysmal state of the country’s healthcare system would be overwhelmed by a continued increase in COVID-19 cases.
The government, particularly the DOH, must not blame the people for its inadequacies due to officials’ corrupt practices all these years.
I agree with the observation of HPAAC that, by and large, Filipinos have done well adhering to health and safety protocols over 14 months since a group of tourists brought the dreaded disease from Wuhan City.
I agree that business establishments must ensure adequate ventilation and open spaces to prevent overcrowding.
Employers should take advantage of the internet technology and implement work-from-home programs.
The local governments units (LGUs) should support and encourage the use of bicycles to lessen crowding in public utility jeepneys and buses.
And, I do believe now that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the LGUs, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR) are doing the right thing adapting uniform curfew hours.
The travel ban on the entry of foreigners for leisure purposes should remain until the pandemic is over.
Strict enforcement of curfew hours and the continued suspension of face-to-face classes should help slow down the spread of COVID-19 while we wait for the arrival of vaccines.
There is a reason for panic despite the staggering numbers reported every day.
The number of active cases of COVID-19 is not even one percent of the population of Metro Manila—but there is no reason for complacency, as well.