Extended GCQ

Cebu City is still under general community quarantine. That means an extended freedom for the residents who have been on a lockdown since March (compared to an enhanced community quarantine). The city deserves it after working hard with national agencies to make sure the cases are low and that hospitals will be able to cater to patients with COVID-19.

However, , residents of Sitio Tumoy of Barangay Ermita were recently caught on camera cockfighting in the middle of a pandemic. If only pictures could speak, I could have heard these shout in jest because of the excitement that aroused from the event. When you are watching two chickens fight for their life, you would want to go near to see things more clearly.

This is a violation of the quarantine protocol that we currently have. Nobody is allowed to join mass gatherings. This is also considered a form of illegal gambling. It won’t be a surprise, therefore, if the city would be relegated back to the stricter quarantine status. While the city and other individuals are breaking their backs to make sure the cases in the city remain low, there are those who don’t just follow rules at all.

No wonder we are tagged by the president as “hard-headed.” There is no reason to be offended if this is true, and we must accept that there are really those who are giving the city a bad image. If only we can be on one page together in response to this pandemic. Especially now that more industries are opening up, we are also opening ourselves to more exposure to the virus.

Honestly, I don’t feel scared anymore since a lot of COVID patients have recovered after their quarantine but we don’t want to put our guards down as well. We must take everything seriously to address this public health concern. The city has already lost its spotlight in this pandemic and it is a good thing; we don’t want it back again.

I’m fed up with checkpoints and men in uniform trying to scare the hell out of me and many others so I would stay at home. We get the message, only a special few don’t. Maybe they need special reminders, too, on how we can successfully win this invisible war.

The extended GCQ may be a small victory but it poses a big challenge to those who want to lower down the quarantine status. A lot of us are struggling to make ends meet with GCQ and the next level would probably open up more opportunities. Restricted movement has been affecting not only income sources but mental health as well. We need a bit of that old life back, even if we have to do social distancing.

I pray that the city would be firm enough as we enter the extended GCQ period to make sure that low cases will still prevail despite movement.