Worst over?
HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III has declared that the worst of the Omicron surge may be over for impoverished Philippines, drawing cheers from the Filipino people.
This is understandable because our people, particularly the poorest of the poor throughout the country, still find it hard to earn a living because of quarantine restrictions.
It is public knowledge that many small businesses are still closed owing to lack of customers, with hundreds of thousands of Filipinos unable to go out of their homes.
“Dahil sa kakulangan ng mga pampasaherong bus at jeep, napipilitan ang mga pasahero na magbayad ng napakataas na pamasahe sa iilang drayber na pumapasada,” a janitor said.
That’s why the citizens welcomed the announcement of the highly-articulate Duque that the worst of the dreaded Omicron may be over for the Filipinos.
“Nalagpasan na natin ang (krisis) kasi low risk na tayo (We’ve hurdled it as we are now at low risk,” according to Secretary Duque, a medical doctor from vote-rich Pangasinan.
In airing the statement, Dr. Duque said that aside from the continued decline in the number of new infections, there is also the improvement in the pandemic situation.
Despite the “good news,” we, like other well-meaning people, cannot overemphasize the importance of observing the so-called minimum health and safety protocols.
In fact, people are made to believe that wearing mask, regular hand washing and observing social distancing will still be part of the “new normal in the country.”
Ito ay kung gusto nating iwasan ang muling pananalasa ng coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
