Hey guys! Wow, 2020 has been crazy, right? We started out with the threat of World War 3. Then where I’m from (Manila, Philippines), a volcano erupted causing people to evacuate and those in the city buying masks for protection against ash fall. Now here we are with the virus – everyone knows about this already – it’s spreading fast, it’s deadly to the elderly and the immunocompromised. It’s all over the world and since prevention is better than cure, the best way to prevent infection or spreading it further is by staying at home (other than washing your hands of course).

The cases are worst in other countries but I am actually grateful that our government is already taking action by enforcing a community quarantine for Metro Manila where most of the confirmed cases in the country are from. Sure, the announcement, execution, could have been done way better but I appreciate the sense of urgency shown in controlling the spread as early as possible. We are all scrambling – other countries, too. But, we’re all in this together. It is a Global issue. Let’s stop looking at Nationalities, political parties – and focus on the issue at hand. How do we increase our chances of surviving this pandemic?

Practicing proper hygiene (washing of hands) is one. Decreasing exposure through social distancing is another – and that is best done by staying at home. Period. Where companies are flexible, they should allow their employees to work from home as much as possible. Where they are not, people need to be conscious about keeping distance. I’m glad my company allows for such flexibility but it’s not the same for others. So my part to play is to not add to the number of people other people need to distance from because they don’t have a choice. I’m saying this because a lot of people on social media don’t seem to get the point of this community quarantine. Sure, the details need to be properly defined – but if you get the intent and the purpose of why this is being implemented, you will know the answer without having to ask the question. STAY AT HOME WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE ANY IMPORTANT BUSINESS TO BE OUTSIDE. It’s not just about you catching the virus, it’s also about not spreading it out. Even if you don’t have symptoms, you may still have it believe it or not! Our hospitals can’t test everyone so our contribution is really to stay out of the way. And of course, you can donate to groups supporting those in the frontline with all the shortage of masks and alcohol from hoarding. Speaking of – don’t hoard and buy things you don’t need out of panic!

I didn’t mean for this post to be preachy but social media (and I’m only on Twitter) is adding to the toxicity of the city (pardon my pun). I suggest you get your news straight from DOH (they have a Viber group) – all the important things that you need to know are there. When it personally gets too noisy on Twitter (because they show you tweets your mutuals liked without your permission), I just mute it. There’s no need for political arguments at this time. I like reading about stories of people helping each other out, though. Those that show hopeful signs of us making it through this ordeal.

That’s all I have to say. These wouldn’t fit in a tweet and I needed to vent. Keep safe guys! We will make it through! This is the most difficult global situation I’ve gone through in my life so it feels unreal – but it is real so let’s go through it together one day at a time.