There’s No Place Like Home— Especially In This Time of A Pandemic

In the past few months, a lot of businesses were forced to halt their operations in response to the quarantine measures implemented by the government. This is one of the few ways to curb the continuous rollout of the coronavirus in the country. However, it brought many people and families into the jeopardy of hunger because they lost the primary source of their income. If Luzon and some other parts of the country will be placed into another extension of enhanced community quarantine, many people would not afford it, for sure. That’s why; the announcement of the palace last Tuesday that some provinces and cities in the country will be downgraded from ECQ to general community quarantine made a lot of people so happy and sparked new hope in their eyes. At last, they can now get back to work again after a month-long rest. But of course, it’s still important to take note that this is not yet the right time to feel comfortably assured. Our safety is still at stake as coronavirus persists to invisibly linger around. Anything unexpected can happen to us and to our community. So if in terms of safety, there’s still no place like home. It remains to be the safest heaven on earth now. 

The main goal of easing the lockdown restrictions is to revive the economy because it has been frozen for almost two months. Selected industries will be now permitted to open their working site and employees will be allowed to return to work. Limited public transportation will be also available, provided that social distancing will be strictly observed inside. Curfew hours and other preventive regulations will still be in effect. But even if some places will now be transitioning to more relaxed directives for economic purposes, work from home arrangement or any other alternative setup is still encouraged to be a priority, especially for those businesses that don’t require the physical presence in order to operate productively and successfully. 

Personal Note

Batangas, where I currently stay, is one of the provinces in the Philippines that will be placed under general community quarantine starting May 16. I’m happy for my fellow Batanguenos who had been stuck for months inside their houses, that now, most of them can finally get back to their work and make a living for themselves and for their family. But I just want to remind everyone that your safety must still be on top of everything. If it happens that you’re back to your original working routine outside your house, please practice the proper hygiene protocols set by the Department of Health. Wear facemask, wash your hands regularly, and use some alcohol spray for additional disinfection. Never disregard social distancing wherever you go. If not necessary, don’t leave your home. 

But for me, I’m still not convinced with the implementation of GCQ to leave our home. I’m one of those people who had experienced terrible anxiety in the past few months of extreme community quarantine, knowing that I was exposed to the crowd every day before the lockdown was imposed. A simple itchy sensation in my throat which was probably caused by calamansi juice and a typical mild temperature rise caused perhaps by the summer breeze really brought me an awful paranoia, thinking what if I contracted the disease and now the symptoms were starting to show? I’m telling you, I almost fell to a complete mental breakdown at that time. I lost my appetite and struggled to sleep at night. 

While there is no vaccine or immunization being formulated against the COVID- 19, it can’t be denied that the chain of viral transmission will always appear when there are movements of people in public places. That’s the reality. I think, we have to accept the fact that we can’t live a normal life for a while. Staying in the comfort of our home is the new normal. So whether it’s GCQ or ECQ, think twice before you step on the road. If not necessary, better stay indoors. Let’s help our government in this fight. Let’s help one another. Let’s save the lives of our front line heroes. Together at home, let’s make a difference in the midst of a pandemic. If we have the means and choice to stay indoors, then let’s do it so. Believe me, we’re going to help the world a lot in this simple way.  

But home is indeed a relieving place to heal. After a month, I began to mitigate my anxiety and learned to live this kind of life dubbed as new normal. My appetite gradually returned and I began to have a sleep of eight or more hours. I stopped experiencing sudden temperature rises and itchiness in the throat. I then realized that those irregularities may be only a sort of hallucinations due to the excessive feeling of unease. I’m finally back to the typical “me.” 

I don’t want to go back to that dreading scenario of fear and anxiety ever again. It really affected my entire being and wellness. Setting my foot again on the road and mixing myself with the crowd is not a thing I consider yet this GCQ. It will only break me down. 

Wait. Some of you may find this as an exaggerated reaction. Some of you may think that I’m only overreacting. That I’m afraid of the things which are merely imaginations and products of non-sense assumptions. Do I? 

I think, I’m not. If you think I’m overreacting or casting exaggerated reactions, well, it’s because I’m frightened of the facts. 

The Facts

In the first months of 2020, China and South Korea were one of the countries that were greatly devastated by the deadly coronavirus outbreak. But due to their advanced and serious methods of addressing the health crisis, they were also the first countries that successfully controlled and eventually contained the spread of the virus in their area. After a tough fight, Wuhan, the origin of the virus, finally ordered the lifting of the lockdown and quarantine measures last April 8. People were celebrating as well as the doctors and nurses who played the greatest role in this battle. But after 35 days of easing the restrictions and no positive cases were recorded, the authorities and the citizens woke up at the weekends with new 6 coronavirus cases. This incident pushed the government to conduct another round of mass testing in the affected area to spot the source of the infection. 

Same thing goes in South Korea. May 6 was the start of the new beginnings at South Korea after getting through the worst nightmare of the COVID- 19 pandemic. The government started to unfasten the restrictions and people rushed to the streets, malls, bars, and other public places without observing physical distancing. After a while of celebrating the triumph over the deadly virus, 35 new positive cases sprouted, and the majority was linked to the bar in Itaewon.  With this, the supposed re-opening of schools was postponed and the South Korean government assured their citizens that they’re prepared for the possibility of the second wave.

In the overall number of positive coronavirus cases worldwide, asymptomatic patients also hold a huge percentage tally. The research said that at least 25-50% of these patients that do not show any symptoms aren’t aware that they’re actually a virus carrier. Hence, they’re unintentionally contributing to the further spread of the disease. 

It’s undeniable that limited testing has serious implications in determining the actual condition of a certain location. So one wrong decision may indeed lead to another batch of an overwhelming number of infections and casualties. 

Takeaway

While there is no vaccine or immunization being formulated against the COVID- 19, it can’t be denied that the chain of viral transmission will always appear when there are movements of people in public places. That’s the reality. I think, we have to accept the fact that we can’t live a normal life for a while. Staying in the comfort of our home is the new normal. So whether it’s GCQ or ECQ, think twice before you step on the road. If not necessary, better stay indoors. Let’s help our government in this fight. Let’s help one another. Let’s save lives of our front line heroes. Together at home, let’s make a difference in the midst of a pandemic. If we have the means and choice to stay indoors, then let’s do it so. Believe me, we’re going to help the world a lot in this simple way.   

Photo Credit: Todd Diemer