DEADLY. The coronavirus disease or Covid-19 is a very deadly infectious disease that we should not take for granted. As of Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the death toll is 315 and the confirmed cases are 4,932 with 3,082 admitted in hospitals. Globally, about two million are infected and almost 120,000 dead.
I am over-emphasizing the seriousness of Covid-19 because recently some of our brethren do not seem to care about their and others’ health, especially that of our frontliners in the medical profession, including the police, some of whom already died serving and saving other lives.
Lest I would forget, our heartfelt and sincerest gratitude to our frontliners, especially those who died to let others live, for their undaunted and selfless service to the people. God Bless us all!
Because of the Good Friday tradition to fast, hundreds of people, despite the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), trooped to the public markets on Maundy Thursday to buy the ingredients for “binignit,” unmindful of the deadly virus. The physical distancing and wearing of the mask were blatantly breached.
On Easter Sunday, even with the early warning from the local officials and the police not to congregate or go to the beach, many broke the ECQ because of the silly tradition (of which I am guilty in my younger days) to bathe in the sea on Resurrection Day.
The hardheaded gamblers, to satisfy their craving to gamble, held illegal cockfights in an empty building in Metro Manila. In Cebu, those crazy with “tigbakay” (illegal cockfight) were arrested, charged and detained. To the cops, thank you for a job well done!
What’s even more serious than Covid-19 is if those arrested for illegal gambling were recipients of the 4Ps or the social amelioration fund. Those arrested for violating the ECQ and for committing crimes during this crisis deserve a longer jail term to teach them a hard lesson.
Call me a pessimist, but with the way things are going, particularly the stubbornness shown by some of our brethren in not complying with the “stay at home” directive as well as the regulations on health and sanitation, it’s not a remote possibility that the ECQ would be further extended to stop the spread of the virus.
And, what if President Rodrigo Duterte and his cabinet would lose their patience and he would order a full martial rule (I hope not) to hack the stubborn and to fully enforce compliance of the ECQ, the physical distancing, the wearing of masks, and hygiene practices?
India has low Covid-19 cases despite its 1.3 billion population because of the way the policemen implemented the stay at home order. No, I am not suggesting that we follow how India imposes the quarantine. The USA now tops in the number of cases because their president is in denial of the real situation.
We’re lucky here that even with the lack of supply and logistics, the President and the rest of the government officials are doing beyond their call of duty to prevent the spread of the virus and provided the aid to those in real need. But complaints of favoritism in the barangay level abound.
So, it now behooves on us whether to follow government regulations on Covid-19 or not and then die. Or, do you want martial law instead?