LAST month, I have written in this column about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) hurting businesses. For this month, it’s not only the business world that is affected but the economy of several countries which have cases of the disease.
We may have been too much affected albeit belatedly by the spread of the virus but we are now feeling and worrying the effects of the virus now transmitted locally in the country. The number of infected is increasing.
Despite the government's effort to address the spread, it seems inevitable and even resulting into the lockdown of the national capital region and other local government units who by their officials declared self-lockdown. Its good that local government officials are exercising their powers to protect their constituents by sealing-off their communities ingress and egress.
Metro Manila has been put into lockdown, softly dubbed as "community quarantine". In truth, it is a lockdown that is meant to somehow help stop the infection of the virus to other people. Aptly it is called, it was tagged as such to avoid the panicking of people who of course would not want to be "locked" in their respective abodes.
Thursday night's announcement of the lockdown of Metro Manila has caused more questions rather than answers especially to those who needs to travel to and from the said region to work or attend to something that is compelling or life threatening. We still need to observe whether its implementation is serious or otherwise.
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The internet is a great source of information and updates on the Covid-19. Its quite alarming that the number of individuals getting infected daily is rising. Sadly, the world-wide-web is also a great source of fake news that were either intended to cause alarm or reported while still unverified.
We can also browse on the internet aside from the updates some prayers and please for the stoppage of spread with the hope that the world can survive all these.
Of course the internet is also a good source of funny memes and jokes on the virus which somehow provide lighter moments amid this global crisis. Although these intend no pun, they are diversions from worries that the virus spread might escalate into something worse.
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I have read on the internet some information on the book by renowned fiction writer Dean Koontz entitled: The Eyes of Darkness. Although I have read some of Koontz' books, the now controversial book is said to contain some scenes on this Covid.
As per reviews and comments, the book is said to have "forecasted" this worldwide health emergency even setting the scene in the year 2020 and mentioning the place Wuhan or Hubei. The said places in China is where the virus originated. The book was published in 1981. Is the said scene merely a coincidence or a past prediction of the present?
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In Macau, there are also cases of Covid infection. They have properly halted the spreading of the virus through massive and serious lockdown of places and temporary closure of establishments there. In Italy, while the Italian government has ordered a lockdown, its people didn't take such seriously.
Many Italians, despite their government's effort to protect its citizens from the virus, were too complacent and many never heeded to the call. They continued their partying and other activities which violated the move to practice social distancing. This resulted to more cases of Covid infection.
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