How to beat COVID-19

I really want to turn this pain into power and move it towards the GOOD,” this is Reizel Angel Quaichon’s call to action. She is a nurse here in the UK, originally from the Philippines. Her shifts are 12 1/2 hours long and more stressful than ever, since the COVID-19 outbreak. She says staffing levels have fallen dangerously low. On her way to cover a night shift as overtime, she was stopped by a couple at the train station. The man elbowed her in the rib, she says, pushing her to the side; the woman shouted: “At least we’re whites, you ***k**g ***t.”

I contacted Reizel after her post and video blog about the incident itself went viral on Facebook. “I really just wanted to speak out in behalf of my colleagues too who are experiencing a lot of racial abuse recently,” she told me. “I’m just glad the message is resonating to a lot of people and that it is raising awareness.”

There are more than 18,500 staff working for the UK’s National Health Service who “self-report” as Filipino, there are probably more staff with British citizenship who have Filipino heritage. Filipinos are the third most common nationality self-reported by NHS staff, according to a recent House of Commons research briefing. The UK’s resistance to the pandemic depends on Filipinos, and yet we are confronted with angry racism. The amazing thing is how we cope: with grace and grit.

“I go through a range of emotions every day and it can be quite overwhelming,” says Ouien Ygot, a clinical specialist who works at a major trauma hospital in London. “One minute I am panic-stricken thinking that I am going to die because I have a tickle in my throat. Then the next minute I am so “stiff-upper lip” and brave, thinking: ‘Bring it on, do your worst!’” 

“I think like most people, it is normal to be a bit anxious, nervous, stressed and worried as we are living in very uncertain times,” Anna-Luisa (Liji) Crespo is a librarian, teacher, student, wife and mother. “However, I can’t stay in that negative zone as I have my health and family to look after. One can’t dwell too much on the discomfort or the negativities that this virus is doing to us globally, there are just too many things to be thankful for.”

Carol Panday works for the NHS too; she’s also a nanny, carer and event organiser who has lived in London for 11 years. “It is a must that all must look into their hygiene and health long before the emergence of this virus. Also, as part of my belief that nothing is more powerful than the ONE who knows everything, notwithstanding the need to always look after yourself, following the preventive measures given by the government.”

Experts say the virus is spreading most rapidly in the capital, and many people are following the government’s advice and staying at home, but many are not. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is under intense scrutiny for its efforts to slow the infection rate while softening the impact on the economy. The pound is at its lowest in 35 years. Self-employed people working the gig economy say they have no idea how they’ll be able to make ends meet if the outbreak isn’t brought under control quickly. The government has pledged £330 billion to help businesses weather the turmoil but it’s not going to be enough.

The most obvious sign that people are worried is the hoarding at supermarkets. Some people want the government to force a stop to the stockpiling and lock the country down properly. “Personally, I believe that the measures taken are not strict enough and should have been put in place sooner,” Liji says. “I know that it is easier said than done for any government. We are in our own dystopian novel. While we have the right to criticize the government, we should individually do what we can to help implement these strict measures and help one another.”

Ouien explained how she’s planned her quarantine. “Facetime and Netflix, definitely; books too. Most importantly, I have a balcony, a guitar and I can sing. So a balcony concierto is definitely in the pipeline (sorry neighbors!) I even have a title for it already, Lockdown Lovesongs or Quarantine Qaraoke. Watcha think?” jokes Ouien.

“Who knows? In generations to come, they might look back and say that the decisions made by the government were wrong, but unfortunately we don’t have the luxury of hindsight,” Ouien says. “Maybe the virus is here to shift society, to recalibrate it. We can focus on what we can control – ourselves and especially our actions; what we do can make such a significant impact.”

Filipinos in London are also worrying about news from home. “Of course it is painful to see what this pandemic is doing to our beloved Philippines. It is very alarming as we do not have the same infrastructure there as we have here in the UK. What we do have as a nation is our deep faith … the bayanihan spirit which I believe has saved us in the past and will do so in the future,” says Liji. 

Ouien keeps in mind what her grandparents went through during the war, when they fled to the mountains and lived in desperate conditions, but survived. “Life always works out in the end, we just have to hang tough and ride this out to emerge unscathed on the other side,” she explains.

Reizel has transformed adversity into a lesson in compassion. “The coronavirus is not an excuse for ANY form of discrimination. People need to realise that every single person is affected and is going through a VERY difficult and vulnerable time. Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers are literally risking their lives on the frontline with limited resources and yet some people feel the need to impose more hatred and fear. This is the time to LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER AND BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, in this time of global crisis; kindness is the best and most effective response.”