Winning against the novel coronavirus

While the threat of a contagion of the novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China is as real as can be, we can do our share in ensuring our own safety while the government tries to identify sources of contamination and to contain them.

Advice on how to personally prevent being infected by the virus abounds, and it is best to first heed official edicts by health authorities. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are good sources of advice.

The WHO’s standard recommendations to the general public is to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, reiterating hand and respiratory hygiene, and safe food practices. Here are reminders:

• Frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

• When coughing and sneezing cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – throw tissue away immediately and wash hands.

• Avoid close contact with anyone who has fever and cough.

• If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early and share previous travel history with your health care provider.

• When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals.

• The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk, or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.

WHO underscores this advice: Protect yourself and others from getting sick.

Similarly, work and public places should help raise awareness on how to promote hand and respiratory hygiene as well as safe food practices. Aside from making available clean water, soap, and disinfectants, reminders of proper public hygiene practice through posters are needed.

The WHO’s website carries downloadable posters for use by companies and mall owners.

Economic implications

Even if the Philippines were to successfully contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, it is already evident that the country’s tourism efforts will be hit. All over the world where the tourism industry relies on Chinese visitors, millions of dollars have already been lost.

Chinese tourists to the Philippines last year were almost comparable to Koreans, each sharing more than 20 percent of arrivals. Should the travel bans imposed by the Chinese government continue to the summer months, this would definitely impact on the Philippines’ Department of Tourism targets.

Further restrictions on travel by other countries that could eventually be severely affected, like Korea and Japan, will likewise affect tourism targets since both countries continue to be major markets of our tourism efforts.

A report by ANZ Research already estimated that a 75 percent decline in the number of visitors and tourists from China in three months could result in a decrease of 0.11 percentage points on the Philippines’ economic growth this year.

But other than tourism, the world is increasingly recognizing the pivotal role that China plays in keeping manufacturing supply chains churning. Not only are travel and movement restrictions being imposed in increasingly more areas in China, manufacturing plants have been subjected to temporary closures.

Asia’s bourses have likewise been affected negatively as shares continued to drop with news of a widening outbreak of the virus in China. Unless an incidence contraction is reported soon to signal that China is managing to curb the coronavirus’ spread, jitters in the world markets will continue.

Avoiding contamination

As awareness of how personal hygiene in avoiding the spread of the coronavirus increases in the Philippines, areas like malls and supermarkets may notice a reduction of people. The business of food and grocery delivery had best to prepared for to cope with the rise in demand for their services.

We’re already seeing a shortage in face masks, and the demand for disinfectants will expectedly surge as well. Medical equipment that can scan fever among people in public places will also be in demand.

Until a cure for the novel coronavirus is found – and experts say this may take a year or more, prevention is everybody’s best bet to keeping healthy. For China where contamination is spreading like wildfire, long-term treatment to manage complications is the only alternative today.

Let’s all pray and hope that humankind gets through this crisis soon.

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