EDITORIAL - Appreciate the seriousness of the situation

And just like that COVID-19 cases are on the rise again.

Not too long ago we wrote that cases were going down, but that we should not take the situation for granted because the trend has been like a roller-coaster; cases go up then down again, up then down again.

But unlike a carnival ride that has an end, this doesn’t seem to have one. Not one that we can see yet, anyway. We seem to be trapped in a seemingly endless loop of ups and downs.

As it stands right now the cases have increased two-hundredfold since December (over 6,000 active cases as of this writing yesterday) that Cebu City has seen the need to reactivate the Cebu City Quarantine Center.

How did we get here? Like how trash doesn’t get to the sewers and drainage systems by itself, there was a human element involved. The virus needs a human host to stay alive, to spread to another host. So it would make sense to say human activity kept the virus alive and spread it.

But even as the cases rise, police are noting an increase in the number of quarantine violators; mostly people who stay out past curfew and people who don’t use masks or practice other safety precautions.

That’s how people get COVID-19 and possibly die from it. When they don’t wear a mask they risk the chance of catching or spreading it. When they don’t keep a safe distance from others they risk the chance of catching or spreading it. When they leave the house for the sake of just hanging out with friends they risk the chance of catching or spreading it.

What gives? Can we conclude that until now some people just don’t understand how the virus spreads? Or perhaps they just don’t care who gets sick as long as it is not them?

Those who take the situation for granted need not worry. As we said earlier, the city’s quarantine center is going to be opened again. Perhaps they can better appreciate the seriousness of the situation after they are taken there.