‘Each individual has a role to play'

Now that Metro Manila and Calabarzon have been reverted to the status of Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), the second most stringent of the government’s pandemic restrictions, people have to go back to the time when they were generally expected to stay at home, except for the most urgent reasons such as to buy food.

Only a maximum of five was allowed for mass gatherings. There was no public transport — no MRT, no buses or jeepneys, no interisland travel, no domestic flights. Biking and non-motorized transport were encouraged. Some businesses and industries were allowed to operate but with no more than 50 percent of their employees on site, the rest to work at home.

Many recently opened businesses will have to close down again, the Department of Trade and Industry said. These include dine-in restaurants, barber shops, salons and gyms, Internet cafés, and tourist destinations like beaches and resorts. People below 21 and those 60 and above are not allowed to leave the house, along with those with immune deficiency, those with health risks, and pregnant women.