MY NIECE called an employee out for chatting with some random guy on the street, unmasked. He cockily replied that the other guy wasn’t masked either. Why do they think they win when they match an idiotic act with another?
It’s disheartening to note that despite all our efforts, some continue to stay dim and dimmer. Not wearing a mask is NOT a sign of strength: it’s a sign of stupidity. And this stupidity, tragically more common than we think, affects everyone in the community.
People balk at wearing a shield because they have no proven efficacy against viral transmission. True. Used alone, shields offer little protection. But we’re not being asked to use shields as a substitute for masks. We’re being asked to use shields in addition to masks.
Common sense, not rocket science.
And why wear half-shields (shields that cover only the eyes and not the mouth) and then get into altercations with security when stopped. If you have to wear a shield for protection, why would you not choose one that covers as many orifices as possible?
Unless a shield impairs your ability to function, there’s no reason not to wear one for additional protection — not just for yourself but for everyone else around you.
Now the call to bring our guard back up because a more transmissible variant of the virus has reached our shores. It should never have been down. At all.
Whether you like it or not, this is a war — a war against an unseen enemy that can change its strategy and strike anytime. To win, we need to be one step ahead of the enemy — all the time. We don’t wait for enemy troops to land on our shores. We anticipate their advance anytime, monitor their movements, even from afar.
Even with our guard up, the enemy can still infiltrate — all the more reason not to sleep on the job. And the job is to stay alive and to keep others alive, as well. That’s the job God gave us when He put us here on Earth.
Masking and safe distancing should be muscle memory for all of us now. Sadly, it is not. Some people don’t comply because they still don’t get it. And some who do, choose not to, because they believe they are “above” the virus.
Entitlement can nurture narcissism and impair intellect. But no one is beyond redemption.
Know that when you gather to eat, drink and be merry, you can also be shedding the virus and spreading it to others who can die from it. Think of the sick, the vulnerable, the elderly, those who do not have your abundant confidence or your superior genetic make-up.
Unlike you, we don’t feel invincible.
In the spirit of the Sinulog, I appeal to your sober and saner selves. You can choose to be dim and dimmer but you can also choose differently. In the midst of darkness, why not choose light and save lives?