Being number one for wrong reasons

Cebu City now leads in terms of the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than a thousand cases recorded, overtaking Quezon City. Many sitios in Cebu City are now on lockdown with aid being given to households in hopes of alleviating people's hunger. People are now calling for the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine but with the numbers that we see now, the idea of going back to normal remains far-fetched. Everyday people are complaining of their current situation, that there isn't enough food for them, and that boredom is already killing them. I don't know how much longer this can last.

And then there is the conflict at the city hall. The city health officer and the city administrator don't seem to agree on some points. There were alleged shady agreements entered into by the city which the health department was kept in the dark. It makes us wonder who is really telling the truth. At the time of pandemic, when people need a well-functioning government, the officials are at war. If I was a resident of the city, I would have felt disoriented at how things are going.

Even the rapid mass testing isn't going well for the city. The targets are missed. The turnouts have been very low. This defeats the purpose of having such activity when the data that is needed to achieve isn't attainable at all. There are those who are scared to get tested because of the issue of sanitation despite numerous reminders that they are using sterile objects. The public is now in an uproar to get this over with but there is no cooperation between those in authority and the public in general.

How can we cope with the COVID-19 situation in the city? As Cebu City cases continue to rise, we seem to be at a loss at home to operate. A lot of us rely hugely on services from the city, heck, most of our jobs are at the city. If this doesn't stop, then we might plunge ourselves into a much dangerous state of looting and chaos. While it is not the nature of Cebuanos to behave as such, the worst possible scenario could happen. Are we ready to respond to a worse crisis? When the people speak, it will be their welfare first before anything else.

Being on top is good. But being on top for the number of cases of COVID-19 is not our idea of excellence. Yes, it could be attributed to mass testing. We are thankful for the rapid action of the government in moving the the positive victims to the barangay isolation centers, but after that what is next? Can we roam around Cebu city like we used to when this is all over? They are alledging that the virus came from the hospital. Should the hospital be on a lockdown instead? We need more research and people to study the situation more clearly.