EDITORIAL - Make this ECQ extension count

Yesterday was supposed to be the end of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City, but the city government, for good reason, decided to extend the ECQ up to May 15, with the condition that it can be terminated anytime if the situation improves.

We imagine it was an easy decision to make when you consider the increasing number of cases in Cebu City, but we can also imagine it was also a hard decision to make when you consider how much the people have suffered during ECQ. Many want to go back to their businesses or to their jobs so they can provide for their families. Many also want things to go back to normal, go outside, and be with other people, as is normal for human beings.

That’s why we must make this extension of the ECQ count.

Let’s be honest here, many of us didn’t follow quarantine rules during the first month of the ECQ. Many people still allowed their children to fly kites and loiter in the streets, many people still chose to hang out with neighbors exchanging banter, many people left the house for no substantial reason.

Don’t forget that time during Holy Week when the Carbon Market filled with people who seemed to prioritize having their prized benignit over their safety and that of their families.

The COVID-19 virus doesn’t have legs; it doesn’t infect people on its own. People who are infected with the virus infect other people by direct interaction. No human interaction means lesser chances of getting the virus.

But despite that, many of us chose to ignore curfew, physical distancing, and only going out when necessary.

So here we are. We can say, to some extent, that this extension may be the result of our own hardheadedness and disobedience.

Now we have another chance to stop the virus in its tracks, let’s not waste this chance. Unless, of course, we want the ECQ to be extended again.