Bacolod City is gearing up for the Modified GCQ or Modified General Community Quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mayor Evelio Leonardia already announced this after a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). This is based on the fact that there are no new Covid-19 positive patients and the Extended Enhanced Community Quarantine (EECQ) seemed to have served its purpose. But are we really ready?
No Mass Testing
The numbers that we keep on seeing being reported are based on those that have been tested for Covid-19. Those who are asymptomatic have not been tested, so therefore, we do not know if the virus is still in our midst.
Remember, one can be a carrier and not be sick. However, the problem is infecting those who have pre-existing health conditions. The ones who are in the high-risk spectrum are babies and senior citizens, as well as those with heart ailments, asthma, high blood pressure, and kidney failure.
Modified GCQ
The Modified GCQ is not liberation. Some people are really excited because they can already go out. But for me, there is no excitement. If I don’t need to go out, I won’t. It’s just too risky and we have high-risk people in the house.
While the businesses and some foot traffic will be allowed, it does not give us the license to go malling or holding parties. Honestly, I am still not comfortable going to church and letting the kids attend Sunday school.
It just means that we move around more in order to complete necessities, like buy things we need or go to work. We will be able to buy our groceries, however, it is going to be at our own risk.
Needless to say, the situation remains, the less people are out there, the less likely that the disease will spread. Remember that. If we resume our activities like nothing is wrong, especially traveling around the country, then we can expect new waves of infections around us. The news of deaths are already very overwhelming.
Staying at home is still the best option. It’s not martial law, it’s not against human rights violation. It’s trying to be safe for ourselves, our loved ones, and society as a whole.
What Are Your Plans From May 16 Onwards?
I posted a question online and asked people what they plan to do from May 16 onwards. That will be when the MGCQ will take effect in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
Many people, who can, said that they are still going to stay at home. Some responded that they will go to work but with proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Someone also said she will continue to pray.
One mentioned that she is going to see how things will go within two months. Read the rest of the discussion below:
What We Should Understand
When the ECQ was declared at different dates around the Philippines, it didn’t mean that the virus will go away by the end of the deadline. We cannot control that.
The purpose of the ECQ is to slow down the spread of Covid-19 while the government and hospitals set up protocols. Just imagine if so many people got infected last March or April and the hospitals and healthcare workers weren’t ready?
However, the virus is still here. It is all over the world. Young and old, rich and poor — all have been affected. I have read reports that Covid-19 is a very smart virus. It keeps mutating at a very rapid rate, with new symptoms and characteristics being discovered almost every day.
So, WE ARE STILL NOT SAFE. If it’s not necessary, it is best to stay at home. Let’s help ourselves, our city, our government, and most especially our frontliners. This situation needs all our concentrated effort.
Other Covid-19 Stories
- Food and Grocery Delivery Services in Bacolod During Quarantine
- Covilyzer UVC Sterilization Lamps Fight Covid-19
- Covid-19 Face Masks for a Cause in Negros Occidental
- foodpanda Delivers Good Food to COVID-19 Frontliners
- Merzci Cares Feeds Many During Covid-19 ECQ
- Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade Disinfects Bacolod City Streets
- SM Foundation Donates PPEs to VisMin Hospitals to Fight Covid-19
Thank you for this information! This is really helpful. The Covid-19 pandemic is really awful. Hope Bacolod City can already get back on its feet.