WE are now close to two years in this pandemic and seeing how our situation has developed, it seems we have not learned to live fully with the virus. There were adjustments of course—wearing of masks, social distancing and washing of hands became our mantra. Our shift to everything online—to work, study, shop, etc.—is now part of our way of life. Then there is that longest ever imposition of lockdowns, with levels that are, I am sure, as confusing to most of us. But apparently all of these are still not enough for us to prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, the numbers are growing, though we have the Delta variant to blame for the increasing surge of infections. The truth is, we are also at fault for the high cases that we have. Yes, we are fully aware of the dangers of Covid; we know what to do, but the way we live our lives in the pandemic remains to be halfhearted as far as bringing down those numbers is concerned.
Just look at our public transport. I still do not get it why we continue limiting public transport when there is an apparent lack of it to accommodate our commuters. Is it to discourage people from going out and therefore limiting the possibility of spreading the virus? I agree with this, but look at the result. Long, unbelievable lines of commuters can be seen every day, with no social distancing whatsoever. No amount of face mask or face shield, even the personal air purifiers that are mandated in Cebu, will protect you from a possible spread in such a crowded space. Why not just allow all public transport to operate, and then you will have bigger chances of commuters actually practicing social distancing; not to mention helping the transport sector make enough income in these difficult times.
Then you have the retail businesses. Understood that we need to allow them to operate, especially the food outlets. We need to keep the economy afloat and closing them would only bring us down further. But look at how they operate. Most are still in their pre-pandemic brick and mortar phase, with many still caught up in serving dine-in guests indoors. Even with the IATF-imposed 30 percent capacity, there is no science that will say one cannot get infected while dining because people have to remove their face masks. It’s good that in some areas you have al-fresco dining available. This should be the norm. If this is the case, why not expand our al-fresco outlets by utilizing the open spaces nearby. For example, why not open streets in front of those malls or even their currently underutilized parking lots. Closing these streets for al-fresco outlets or taking over those parking lots and giving them to food and retail outlets would result in helping these entrepreneurs have a better chance of economically surviving this pandemic.
Then we see the insistence of many businesses operating at pre-pandemic operating hours. Yes, there is that digital shift with most of us working at home. But most businesses still follow the 9-5 schedule. For those who need to work physically, they need to crowd it out with others on the same schedule as before. Why not spread operating hours until evenings. Then you could give people more time to do their business. Even government should adjust accordingly. In this regard, I dread thinking how we will be voting next year. No assurances by the Comelec can actually guarantee those lines and indoor polling places are indeed safe given the expected influx of voters. Very simple. Why not extend the voting hours, make it 24/7 on election day?
We can help stop virus transmissions with a lot of common sense. Bring out more transport to address commuter demands, therefore lessening the lines; utilizing those open spaces for businesses and then spreading out operating hours. These are non-expensive solutions that can be easily implemented and have more chances of success. At least, these solutions the government need not purchase. Unlike those face shields that, apparently, make us the only country using them, not to mention the absence of real science that say they work in the first place.
The author may be reached at: thomas_orbos@sloan.mit.edu