The Covid-19 Future in the Philippines

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Our future amid the covid-19 landscape will be the blended normal. That future is already happening here in the Philippines. It has been running for ten months and our lives have changed since the pandemic started. 

Recently, a pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, announced that their vaccine is already 90% effective.  But they estimate to roll it out by the middle of next year. If that happens, will we go back to our normal ways? I doubt it because the pandemic has already changed the way we see and do things.

In mid-February of 2020, the Philippines closed its border for months.  The national government and local government units curtailed the movement of people and imposed strict quarantine of cities and towns to stop the spread of the virus. 

Local government units also regulated the trips of their constituents to groceries, malls, and other stores by issuing a strict schedule for everyone to follow. They also enforced health standards, like social distancing and wearing face masks in public places, and enforced it with sanctions. Because we were scared of the virus and violations, we were forced to stay at home most of the time.

For the moment, there is no compelling reason for us to go out. Businesses ordered their employees to work from home. Schools, together with their teachers, now teach students of all ages online. Students participate in class, do their homework, and even participate in extra-curricular school programs online.  

We don't have to go to payment centers and line up anymore because we can pay our bills online. That way, we won't catch the virus. Now, we can buy our groceries and durable items online rather than go to supermarkets and department stores to buy what we need. When we crave food, other than home-cooked meals, we order food online instead of dining out. 

I guess people would prefer to order eBooks online rather than go to bookstores and buy a paperback or hardbound book. That's why I co-wrote an eBook about personal finance entitled "A Millennial's Journey to Financial Freedom," knowing that more and more people are buying eBooks online rather than buy books at bookstores.

We might not be able to go back to our normal lives just yet because the covid-19 virus might not be totally eradicated. Worse, a new virus might come out and spread rapidly. That is bound to happen because the forests where these types of viruses are hiding are being depleted by humans. Because of that kind of human intrusion, the chances of virus transmission from wild animals to humans is much higher, just like what happened to the coronavirus. Since humans don't have natural immunity from novel viruses, a pandemic is sure to happen.

We have survived the past months and learned that we can do all sorts of things, like work and school, online. So why go back to what we were doing before the pandemic when we are already used to doing the things we do now? Maybe we can settle for the "blended normal."  A mix of virtual and real activities. Everyone, from schools, businesses, and the government is already mouthing that term. 

Being cooped up inside the house is hard, that is why we yearn to go out. But the survival instinct tells us not to go out because of the virus. For now, the blended-normal life suits me just fine because catching the virus is no joke.










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