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Life beyond Covid-19

PUBLIO J. BRIONES III pjbriones@sunstar.com.ph

What’s the point of the government’s vaccination program against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) if people continue to be subjected to rigid and constrictive guidelines to try and contain a pandemic that is not as deadly as medical experts initially thought?

Don’t get me wrong. We have come a long way from the days when there was no public transportation and most establishments were shut down.

For all intents and purposes, life is almost back to normal, “almost” being the operative word.

For one thing, many businesses have reopened. That is, those that have managed to survive after months of lockdown. You see, not everyone had deep pockets. Some, especially those in the tourism sector, relied on visitor traffic for their day-to-day income. With hardly any tourists coming in, well, you get the picture.

Some schools I heard have been allowed to operate. Although it is limited to only those that offer medicine and other health-related courses.

It’s not much, I know, but it’s a step in the right direction.

After all, we’re in the vaccination stage of this pandemic. It’s not exactly a cure, but at least we have some sort of protection against the disease that has claimed the lives of 3.82 million worldwide.

I know 3.82 million people dead seem a lot, but when you put this in the context of the Earth’s estimated total population of 7.8 billion, it really isn’t.

I don’t mean to seem callous. I know I already sound like the biggest a—hole for even suggesting that those lives didn’t matter because they did. To their families. To their friends. But what about the rest of us?

Not everyone is lucky to have a leader like Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak.

Early on, she realized that the policies imposed to address the Covid-19 situation in Cebu Province didn’t jibe with the facts. So she adopted guidelines that would adapt to local conditions. That way, people — you know, those who are still alive — can pick up the pieces of their broken lives and go on living.

I don’t mean to sound melodramatic, but I can’t help it. It seems to be de rigueur these days.

Did the number of Covid-19 cases in the province shoot up as a result?

Well, you be the judge. Go around Cebu Island. Heck, go around the rest of the country and the world. People are moving on.

And yet, there are some officials who cling to fear-mongering and threats, constantly chastising the public for not complying with minimum health standards, while ignoring them themselves.

OPINION

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2021-06-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://sunstar.pressreader.com/article/281526524007367

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