As I write, many of us are still reeling from the turn of events that have taken place in rapid progression over the past few days.
Sure, we have been aware of the existence of the coronavirus, but for many weeks the threat was relatively far from home. That comfort was short-lived.
From three, the number has now risen to 98. Of this number, eight have died. Many of the known positive cases are Filipinos, with some of them not having any recent travel history. That means they contracted the virus either from a place where an infected person had expelled droplets, or they had a direct contact with a carrier. That carrier, in turn, could have been a patient, or could have not shown any symptoms and who may still be unaware of the fact.
I’ve heard statements like how COVID-19 is the great equalizer. Even high-profile personalities—say, the actor Tom Hanks, or Sophie Trudeau —have contracted it anyway. Here at home, several lawmakers and Cabinet members have gone on self-quarantine. The President and his aide Senator Bong Go went as far as having themselves tested.
I think however the virus scare and its repercussions do the contrary—highlighting instead how the things others take for granted could be a luxury for some.
Take this concept of working from home or, in the case of students, learning from home. It’s one of the benefits offered by technology. The Internet makes it possible for tasks, meetings, discussions and output submissions to be done remotely.
But the nature of blue collar jobs for instance demands physical presence—how else can you construct a house, clean offices, wait on tables, peddle your goods? Often, the arrangement is that they do not get paid if they don’t show up.
(If you are a student from a public school, perhaps your most common use of the Internet is social media on your phone if you save enough from your allowance to load your number. You don’t have a computer with which you can do research or download apps designed specifically for online learning.)
And so workers do need to show up if their employers decide to stay operational. Otherwise, there goes their living. But in showing up, they have to take public transportation. They don’t own cars or have the budget for cabs or Grab. The trains will run during the lockdown period, but at a greatly limited capacity. One shudders to think about the usual cramped conditions that workers had to endure in previous weeks, after the outbreak but before the lockdown.
Stay home, we are told. We disinfect our homes, cleaning and spraying obsessively. We wash our hands with soap and water or rub them wth alcohol to feel just a little more secure. Sometimes we wear masks. When we run out of these supplies, we can always go to the supermarket or drugstore to replenish—sometimes, greedily so.
When we get bored or hungry at home, we watch movies or our favorite shows on our streaming services, and order food for delivery according to our craving, with the help of various delivery apps. We are happy to note that some concerts and museum exhibits are available online.
Meanwhile, virus threat or none, millions of Filipinos cannot even afford to buy soap, or do not have access to clean water with which to maintain basic hygiene. Their problem is not that it might not be safe to go out to eat, or that they are torn with eating their favorite “sinful” food and eating healthy. It is that they do not have money for the most basic food items in the first place.
And what distancing? Try telling that to those living in hovels in large numbers and in close proximity to one another. Tell that also to those in jail, for whom personal space is nonexistent. Has the government even pondered an outbreak in such communities?
Imagine a worker from these areas experiencing coughing and fever. Going to the doctor would be such a hassle; the medicine might be expensive. The poor sleep away their sickness, hoping they would feel better in the morning, strong enough to fight their economic battles anew. Certainly they don’t even consider submitting themselves for COVID testing; they would not even know where to start.
We do what we can to keep ourselves and our families safe, and to have a semblance of normalcy despite these extraordinary times. We need to stay healthy, strong and informed.
Moreover, we have to show empathy in thinking about others more vulnerable than we are. Their concerns should be addressed in a compassionate and commonsensical manner. Now is not the time to be whimsical, arbitrary—or indifferent.