I WAS looking forward to resuming our early morning walk at the Cebu City Sports Center yesterday after nearly two months of being sidelined by the Covid-enforced quarantine. I was also hoping that tomorrow we could reopen our law office, which had been shut down also because of Covid for about the same period.
It turned out that I could not do either because late Friday, the Inter-Agency Task Force in Manila changed their minds about placing Cebu City under a state of modified enhanced community quarantine. The MECQ was supposed to be the first step towards new normalcy; now we’re back to square one.
The IATF decision should not come as a surprise, however, because we were the ones who sought it through a joint statement signed last Tuesday by Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Lapulapu City Mayor Ahong Chan, asking that their cities remain under ECQ.
The mayors said that while they welcomed the easing up of the quarantine, they cannot “ignore the harsh realities” that they are not yet prepared for the transition. They added that while it would have been easier for them if they just followed the IATF recommendation, they have a moral obligation to protect the health of their people even if meant making difficult decisions.
The best way to “flatten the curve” was to test, trace and treat, the local executives said, as they appealed to the IATF to allow them to remain under ECQ until they shall have accomplished their goal of testing 10 percent of their population. “We have nothing but the best interest of our people in mind,” they told the government agency.
The mayors were correct in expressing confidence that the IATF would heed their appeal but only partly: Only the cities of Cebu and Mandaue got their wish; Lapulapu is now under general community quarantine.
So there you are, the situation in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue has not turned for the worse. New cases are discovered every day but not at an alarming rate. And the case fatality rate remains very low, compared with the national, even the world, percentage.
In their petition, Labella, Cortes and Chan also urged the people to support their rapid testing campaign. We asked the national government to be allowed to take care of our own people so please cooperate, they appealed to their constituents.
None of the three cities has hit its target but it is most dismal in Cebu where only 5,429 out of the expected 17,536 residents have been tested, forcing Labella to extend the deadline from May 15 to May 21. I hope that we will be more cooperative this time otherwise we may not be able to see the quarantine restrictions lifted soon enough.
The government wants to keep us safe from Covid and, for that matter, all other diseases but it can only do so much without our support. Stop whining and complaining. Have yourselves tested; it’s free. Stay at home. Wash your hands. Wear a mask when you have to go out. Practice social distancing.
And trust government to take care of the rest.