Stuck between money and the virus

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- Schools, factories, restaurants, offices and other workplaces everywhere were shut down by the Covid-19 pandemic, has left millions jobless and pushed health personnel to scramble for medical equipment and beds amid hundreds of thousands of people who died or who have become seriously ill.

As a reaction, governments in all corners of this planet responded in various ways to the crisis. Just like our lawmakers who gave the president extra power to reallocate at least ₱275 billion from the national budget of 2020, the USA Congress passed a US$2 trillion rescue package, one of its biggest economic stimulus measure in modern history to help the people, businesses and industries affected by the pandemic.

Other poorer countries, including the Philippines that do not have enough cash to distribute to their citizens, use more drastic measures in response to the pandemic by temporarily taking over public utilities and private health facilities when public interest so requires, for quarantine and accommodation of health workers.

The most agreeable means of controlling the virus is by quarantining people in their homes, limiting travel and temporarily stopping commerce. Going out from houses is limited except for essential needs, but this is done in a way that people stay six feet away from others, and going to the market is allowed for once a week only. Health authorities tell us that closing businesses, disrupting the operations of transportation and minimizing social contact are important to avoid exponential transmission of infections.

But the question that bugs all of us is “how long will it take to go back to normal?” Unfortunately, no one has an answer to that. Many countries locked down to prevent virus transmission but infections have not been stopped. South Korea did not lock down but they had money and the means so they were fast to test people, trace their contacts and quarantine those infected.

But while richer countries such as China and Korea have shown that the virus can be controlled with drastic measures, resurgence of infections were reported in some parts of their cities while trying to reopen their businesses at the same time. Countries are attempting to make a balance between stopping infections and wanting to get back to business as usual but realize that it can never be.

In our country, some towns and cities are beginning to reopen non-essential businesses and services, others are still planning to reopen while still others are under lockdown. The decisions for each place are made on a case to case basis. It is because no one really knows how long it will take for this country to get back to its fully opened status.

Lifting a shutdown just because of the money would be disastrous especially when a community has not been observing the minimum health protocols. On the contrary, locking down a community when an infection is reported cannot be the strategy all the time. As demonstrated, the debate is between economy and the health of its citizens. That calls for the president’s team to put in place a long-term plan that can be of use while a vaccine is unavailable.

It is because no one knows know how long physical distancing, other health protocols and lockdowns can be sustained by our communities, without consequences to the economy and our people’s physical and mental health. We begin to reopen, but what is to come is very much unknown. We are stuck.