The risks are still there

Mayors of various cities in Metro Manila immediately reacted to the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to allow cinemas and amusement arcades to open to the public. With a movie lasting two to three hours, a viewer is confined to an enclosed place with other viewers where ventilation may be poor even if physical distancing is observed. They decided not to allow cinemas to open despite the recommendation of the IATF. Some senators also questioned the IATF's decision where opening cinemas and amusement arcades seemed more important than allowing students back to school. The IATF then balked and decided to allow cinemas to open in March of this year.

The concerns of the mayors and senators are valid. I would not feel comfortable watching a movie, cooped up with other people whose health you know nothing about. The pandemic is still very much with us. For three consecutive days, we have had more than a thousand recorded positive cases all over the country.

The argument is that there are now more people experiencing hunger because of unemployment than those getting sick of the disease, hence the opening up of more of the economy. I can imagine some pressure from businessmen to also allow the economy to get rolling. But vaccination for the population has not yet commenced. It speaks volumes when private companies and local government units are working to get vaccines on their own instead of depending on the national government. But for as long as the target of inoculating 70% of the population has not been achieved, the possibility of the virus spreading still exists. Vaccine distrust is still high among the population which needs to be addressed by the government. I don't think having the president or other officials getting their jabs publicly will automatically change the minds of many. The manufacturer of the vaccine is also an issue, whether the Palace likes it or not.

I'm surprised at the number of people going out in public, to think Metro Manila is still under GCQ and not the more relaxed MGCQ. Many places have also opened to the public in the hope of restarting their businesses. I see a lot of chairs with large "X" marks to enforce distancing in restaurants. Some establishments limit the number of people inside their premises at any given time. Of course, the wearing of face masks and face shields is non-negotiable. Still, you need to remove them when you eat, right? These are all well and good but when you have so many people in one place like the malls the risks are still there. I'm just glad we don't have the idiotic anti-maskers we see in YouTube videos, mostly from the US. Is it any wonder why they remain the country with the most number of cases and deaths in the world?