Day 1 of Enhanced Community Quarantine

Last night, the Philippine government placed the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine in an effort to curb the transmission of the coronavirus, which had infected at least 140 and killed 12 in the country. Everybody is strictly forced to stay at home, with work suspensions (in addition to last week's school suspensions) all around. 

There are exemptions - establishments like supermarkets, pharmacies, and banks need to stay open. My brother, who works at a bank, left the house a little later than usual because the quarantine (which many prefer to call 'lockdown') suspended not only work but also all forms of public transportation (except for some international flights), so there's less traffic on the road. 

My brother saw firsthand how people who didn't have their own vehicle but needed to go to work got stranded on the streets, unable to get a ride. According to the government, it's up to the employers and even the local government units to see to their employees' and constituents' needs.

My family is one of the lucky ones to have the means to live comfortably and reside within walking distance to sources of food and medicine. Many, many others are in a more difficult situation. We're all hoping the crisis is resolved soon. For now, we're doing what we can to continue work and keep ourselves healthy.

My college professor mother has started recording her lectures (so that students can access these at their convenience), while my engineer father has found something to tinker with at home. My younger sister continues with her online English classes. My youngest sister and my brother-in-law, who live in another part of the metro, have been told by their respective employers to work from home.

The cats and dogs, as usual, are lounging around contentedly, oblivious to the crisis. They don't know my family worried about how to get food for them when it runs out, considering no one's allowed to leave the house. Thankfully, the authorities provided clarifications and further explanations, so we heaved a sigh of relief when we learned we can still go out to buy what we need - one household member at a time only.

As for myself, I work from home but find myself unable to focus on the writing I need to do, so to calm my mind I got out a crochet work in progress. It's a rectangular table cover made from scrap yarn (leftovers from finished projects). I work on it little by little, when my mind is all cluttered, but the way my brain is working these days I may be able to finish it before the week is through.

Image Source: GMA Public Affairs Facebook Page