Last chance to return to normalcy

THE decision of President Duterte to extend the Enhanced Community Quarantine, to mean as placing a town/city or barangay on lockdown, till April 30 was not without data and statistics from the ground.

As we have seen, lockdown means stoppage of economic activities, i.e., closed stores and offices, no employment, no entertainment, restricted mobility, limited access to food, to relatives, and total confinement in homes.  It requires government to provide the billions worth of resources to support the lockdown.

Seeing how our people have reacted to the crisis and the ECQ so far, nobody can refute the fact that our country is definitely far from considered free from COVID-19 contagion after 30 days.

But more than just looking at the extension merely as doing more of what we are doing today, it should tell us that it’s our last chance to return to normalcy.

Failing to free our respective communities of the virus by April 30 can only mean we will have more carriers and fatalities in the months ahead because our government can no longer provide the same amount of resources to back a longer lockdown.

We foresee that after April 30, each city or town will be left to decide on what it must do to stop the contagion in their communities with its limited resources.

In this regard, it behooves the province’s LGUs to go on the offensive, to do a lot more than what it’s doing today. The mandatory wearing of masks is a good start.

We suggest a province-wide check of all barangay residents’ body temperature in the absence of mass testing. Our barangay structure can make this possible. (Please read the basic concept for an offensive action in our editor’s Punchline).

Pangasinan has to be free of COVID-19 before April 30.

 

Listen to our leader

LOCKDOWN, stay-at-home (SAH) and enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).  They all mean practically the same.  You practice SAH and you are locked down in your house.  Never leave home without a valid reason or you could get arrested in violation of the law.  You practice ECQ and you are locked down in your community/barangay.  Never leave your community/barangay without a valid reason or you could get arrested in violation of the law.  With President Duterte extending the Luzon lockdown end of April, he only recognized once more the real danger of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The gains we will garner during the first one-month quarantine ending April 14 must be preserved—thus, the need for another two-week extension of the Luzon-wide lockdown ending April 30.  Again, let’s listen to our leader.  For once, let’s behave.  Sacrifice.  Your obedience could save your life, and the lives of others.  Patience, my dear.

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