Lockdoooooooown
On January 30, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 virus was recorded in the Philippines, wherein the patient involved was confined at San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila. During that time, me and my mother were at the mall in Quezon City and we've both immediately noticed the quick changes in the movements of other people at the mall. Some of them are talking about the news and making their own speculations while the others were rushing to the drug stores to buy face masks and other essential stuff that is believed to be essential. Upon knowing the news, I spent time thinking about it, and I hope that it could be instantly treated by the doctors, and the scientists could immediately develop a cure to stop the virus.
Many days had passed after the news was released about the first case in the Philippines, I don’t feel worried because I kept on positively thinking that the new virus can easily be treated in just a month, and worse things will not happen. Just like me, many people continue to live their lives without fear, until the day comes that started to change the lives of each Filipino people. On March 15, 2020, the government placed Metro Manila on a strict lockdown. I feel scared a little bit because this set-up is new to me, there were also many authorities outside and I’m afraid because of the worse things that might happen in the country just like what I’ve seen on the movies. After hearing the news, I started to realize some things like having a feeling of joy because as a student who is also struggling for our final term, our summer vacation will be early and there is no clear assurance when will be the next school year will return. That night of March 15, I also think that the longest possible implementation of lockdown is three to four months then after that, everything will be okay and goes back to normal.
During the first lockdown, of course I and my classmates are still struggling to complete our final requirements for the final term. For me, it’s okay at least we are on our homes and we don’t need to wake up early to prepare for school, but still it is draining. After we have completed our requirements, I finally said to myself that I can now do all the things that I want to do. That time, I did fun stuff like trying to cook new dishes with my mother, having quality time with my family, watched all the movies and series that I want to watch, and improved my traditional painting skills. Months had passed, the government still continued to extend the lockdown without the proper plans on how to combat the virus and without proper aid to the poorest people. Although the government provided a budget to aid the affected workers because of the prolonged lockdown, it is still not enough.
While the lockdown continues, my happiness to do stuff was replaced by sadness, boredom and a bit of resentment. I felt all of these because I see that the government was not doing the right things to fight the pandemic instead, they do awful things that will not help to normalize our situation. One of these things was they still continued the beautification of Manila Bay in the middle of pandemic wherein they spend millions of money to put artificial sand or dolomites in Manila Bay. Because of the criticisms they have received from the public, some officials said that they continued this project because they believe that it has good benefits in the mental health of the people. I really feel sad for what the government is doing, because there is no improvement in the situation of the country and its getting worse because of their infinite lockdown. I believe that it is better if they will come up with a new plan that will no longer require lockdown because it will more likely kill the economy of the country.
I admit that I don’t feel comfortable wearing face masks because it irritates my skin and causes large pimples on my face. It is also difficult to breathe when wearing a face mask, but I don’t have a choice since it is required to keep me safe from the virus. I've already accepted the fact that we need to wear face masks until the situation of the country comes back to normal, but I was so disappointed when the government requires the public to wear face shields, another equipment that will keep us safe from the virus but will make our breathing even harder. Still, I don’t have a choice but to follow the rules to keep me and my family safe from the virus. As the time went on, I was really annoyed and sad because there is really no improvement in the situation of the country and what happens on the first lockdown seems to be happening over and over again.
Another thing that makes me sad is that our government keeps on blaming the public for what is happening in the country, they keep on saying that the public is “pasaway” or hard headed even if it is not. In my observation, most of the public is following the basic health protocols and almost all of the public or private establishments are strict on implementing it. For me, it is really the prolonged lockdown that worsened our situation because it is anti-poor and not everyone has a good job to withstand the lockdown. Sometimes, before I sleep, I’m thinking some worse scenarios that might happen in our country if the pandemic continues to worsen. It makes me sad and gives me some stress because I really do miss our normal life before the pandemic.
In the present moment, the stress that I feel is getting heavier because of the online class. I feel that the online class is more tedious compared to face to face classes. During our online class, we need to face our devices for long hours and after that, we will face it again to finish all our deadlines on canvas and then we need to study for the upcoming quizzes and exams. This routine repeats all over again every week. Moreover, online classes are so draining and I believe that we students deserve an academic break because we have almost no rest in the whole semester, and we feel that taking a break for a moment is a sin which is very depressing.
In order to lessen the stress that I feel, I let my mother and father know about what I feel and how the rest of my day is, so that they can give me advice on how to deal with it and they can share some kind words that I can use to fight and continue doing the stuff that I need to accomplish. I also talk to my friends and check on them how they are doing so that can I can also help them to lessen the stress that they feel because of the pandemic and online classes. Moreover, if I'm lucky to have extra time to rest from online class, I treat myself by having a good sleep, eating healthy foods, ordering my favorite food and drinks, taking my vitamins, and watching series and movies that I love.
Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class. Thank you for understanding! @bertongbigtime.