Impose again new restrictions in Baguio? Everybody will again raise hell. Justifiably so.
Why? Everybody is hungry and have to make a living. Any small savings people had were depleted the past months, especially during the hard lockdown. Many small businesses, the sources of income of so many, had long been dead and buried
Then some movements were allowed and society started to stir with people trying to find ways to survive. Then new restrictions again? Facebook immediately got overheated with curses on the powers-that-be. Well and good. Our local officials seem unable to place themselves in our shoes, we the ordinary people.
Instead of squeezing people more, why don’t the authorities be more creative in containing the virus? For instance, are all measures already in place being properly enforced? Proper enforcement might be all that is needed.
One measure more popular in the breach rather than in the observance is the requirement to have rubbing alcohol in public utility vehicles so passengers can freely sanitize their hands. So many of our jeepneys don’t have them or they have plastic bottles for this—hanging like some sorcerer contraptions– but are empty. Same thing with cabs. Understandably because rubbing alcohol is expensive for ordinary drivers. It is the jeepney or cab owners who should be liable for violations of this requirement. Apparently nobody from government is monitoring compliance. Thus, commuters are becoming super spreaders of Covid.
Another is for restaurants, coffee shops, banks, groceries, malls and other places that people frequent to be required to periodically sanitize furniture like tables and chairs being touched by different customers every second. Some of such establishments seem not to do any kind of sanitation at all.
For better compliance also with the injunction for the frequent washing of hands, business establishments like gas stations and restaurants must have clean comfort rooms (CRs) with soap and running water. This is also more known in the breach than in the observance. Many of the gas stations around town have even completely closed their CRs, and those of the rest are dirty, smelly and badly maintained—the best breeding places for viruses.
Some such establishments are even poorly ventilated. Viruses are lurking and multipying in there, infecting customers who in turn go out and infect others.. Reconstruction of these places must immediately be ordered.
Then there is the requirement for social distancing. Private businesses like malls and groceries are not enforcing this rule properly or that they don’t have enough personnel for such purpose. Go to relatively big groceries, malls and department stores and crowding is the rule rather than the exception. Stricter monitoring is required
What is needed is more creativity on the part of the local government rather than more restrictions. And better enforcement of the simple but effective rules that are already in place.**