THE coronavirus disease is, inarguably, the strongest game changer we've encountered in this decade.
Its cousins, SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome and MERS COV or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Corona Virus, fared lesser while wreaking havoc on us.
No cure has been found yet on Covid-19 while SARS and MERS Cov each had doable cures and medication. In all these three diseases, deaths resulted and losses in trade and other undertakings have been registered.
These diseases have all changed our awareness, fears, anxiety and instability characterized our way of living and losses in every aspect of our existence have been tremendous and staggering.
As the editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer of March 2, 2020 proclaimed: “The global panic caused by the corona virus epidemic will adversely impact the Philippine economy harder than initially anticipated. The adverse effects of this disease are now being felt by almost all nations on earth.”
The economic managers of the country expectedly downplayed the crumbling effects of this game changer in order not to alarm the public.
Our tourism industry has taken a big hit with tourists from South Korea, the largest group from this area, China, the United States and countries with Covid-19 cases imposing travel restrictions on their residents.
It is therefore prudent, timely and wise for Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat to encourage our countrymen to promote domestic travel as a boost to our local tourism and to offset losses being registered by international tourism. Desperate measures for desperate times, so they say. What goes up in the future dear Bernadette?
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While we pray that this disease challenge like the African swine fever curse will pass away in due time and give us breathing space to move ahead and be worry-free.
The Covid-19 and all the other illnesses that have befallen on us must have taught us hard lessons but our health authorities, now ever vigilant on the recurrence of cases, are now more prepared and learned as ever!