Balancing nat'l health and economic concerns

The National Capital Region (NCR) – Metro Manila – and 14 other regions in the country will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for another month until February 28, the government decided last week. We had been hoping that the GCQ would be eased into Modified GCQ (MGCQ) which would be the last level of restriction before a return to pre-pandemic conditions.

The public generally sees these various levels of restrictions in terms of their effect on their personal freedom of movement. Many miss the old freedoms – going to malls on weekends, going to church on Sundays, going to work and to classes.

But many fear and know the COVID-19 virus is still very much around here and in many other countries, still deadly and infectious, and it is best to stay in the safety of home, avoid meeting other people, friends as well as strangers, lest they be unknowing carriers of the virus. If they do go out, it is with face masks and face shields on, and keeping other people at a distance.