WE WILL overcome [it]. This is the strong message of City Mayor Benjamin Magalong even as he rolled out his new directives through the issuance of Executive Order 67 series of 2020. The order mandates an enhanced community quarantine, the mayor spelled out several stringent measures that would stifle and thwart any possibility of the city harboring the deadly virus.
The enhanced community quarantine guidelines as they are called may seem exacting and too restrictive at first glance but, on closer inspection, we discover a rational, sensible and logical approach that would attempt to protect our beloved city from the pestilence of the coronavirus.
Of course, formulated by one who has a deep background in crisis management and having experienced violent and strife-ridden events and situations in his storied military career, it is only natural for Mayor Magalong to capably rise to the challenge posed by this deadly virus and exhort the people of Baguio to do the same.
As he had previously announced to the media on several occasions the present situation is very fluid and only by being pro-active can the city hope to prevent entry into the city of the deadly virus? Also as a leader, the Mayor likewise urged and encouraged the people of Baguio to become more disciplined and obey the guidelines imposed under the enhanced community quarantine.
In other words, he is simply saying that everybody should cooperate and comply with the preventive measures if we pray and desire a Baguio that is free from the coronavirus.
Since our health, security and even our very lives are at stake, then whatever sacrifices have to be made must be endured with stoicism and equanimity, at least during this short period of testing, if only to guarantee that very soon we would survive the onslaught of the deadly disease unscathed.
The guidelines for the enhanced community quarantine in the city revolve on one simple and basic precept fewer people movement starves and kills the virus. In a post through the social media we have this:
“Heto pala ang ‘Scientific Reason’ why there is a 30-days community quarantine. You have to read about countries that successfully brought down their cases. First, you need to slow down the transmission by limiting people’s movement. The virus will always look for a new host so they can keep on multiplying. Once you limit the movement of people (host for the virus), you create distance for the virus to jump to a new host. When the virus can’t find a new host then they expire by themselves and disappear. We cannot contain the virus proliferation in a mobile community, because everyone will just keep passing it on. Some scientist project the life cycle of the virus maybe from 14 to 21 days so we need to starve the virus by that number of days till they expire. By partial lockdown we may slow it down. By total lockdown we extinguish it. It is that simple. Let’s all cooperate and support the community quarantine extreme measure to eradicate the Covid-19 virus.”
This post in the social media was not referring to the city of Baguio in particular but here we establish the basis for the city’s enhanced community quarantine imposed for a limited time.
Now that the die has been cast and the challenge is met let us all unite in the city of Baguio in waging war against this silent but deadly and invisible enemy so that God willing we will emerge victorious in the end.