March 1, 2022 marked a new beginning for the majority of the nation’s population as the government’s coronavirus task force approved the placing of Metro Manila and 38 other areas under Alert Level 1, at least until March 15. It has been close to three years since the country was put under pandemic era regulations leaving our 110 million populace to stay in home seclusion, disrupting the flow of commerce and upending our lives to a degree that we are all still trying to comprehend. So the complete lifting of the lid from our “bottled in” socio-economic existence is a welcome relief for all.
But wait, the pandemic has still to play out from the scene; the Department of Health (DOH) in a press briefing on Monday, February 28, stressed that while the government, through Alert Level 1, wanted to usher in a “new normal,” the pandemic is not yet over. Experts guiding the government’s pandemic response said the public should also be ready to see restrictions tighten in case infections climb and hospitals come under strain once more.
So for everyone out there and for many who are set to go out of their “house bubble” thinking that the coast is clear: watch out, be vigilant, and be aware of your surroundings as the COVID 19 virus and its variants are still virulent among the unvaccinated ones, especially children and those recalcitrant Pinoys still refusing to be vaccinated.
But setting the presence of the pandemic aside, there is a need to think further ahead and work out how the new normal is going to impact our society, our community and our families in the short term and in the long run. The country admittedly has changed because of the pandemic although many things may have remained the same.
Transportation for example, has a new look and new complexion brought about by the necessity of preventing the spread of the virus to our riders and commuters. The dedicated bus lanes along EDSA, Metro Manila’s busiest and most prominent thoroughfare, is now firmly in place. It took the pandemic to do that after more than a decade of talking and debating about putting a dedicated bus lane in EDSA to segregate public buses from the usual traffic congestion. Then there is the installation of 500 kilometers of bike lanes in the past two years which is a prime example of how we responded to the needs of our people for mobility and better road design. And in line with the global call for combatting or addressing the problem of climate change, there are more electric vehicles like buses and pedicabs on Metro Manila streets now which is something the national government should further encourage through the setting up of electric charging stations and providing tax breaks and import privileges for those purchasing or marketing electric vehicles from abroad.
Moreover, the Covid-19 experience has reminded us that we should redesign spaces to allow more ventilation and sunlight in our homes, offices, workplaces and commercial establishments. Hopefully, our engineers, architects and urban planners will take these factors into consideration when planning new developments. The reluctance among many workers who have been working at home or outside of the office from going back is the prospect of resuming work at their usual cubicle or poorly ventilated and closed office and contracting the virus in that stifling atmosphere.
Which brings us to my final point which is the need to invest more in health-care facilities and the pharmaceutical sector. The crisis has taught us that health takes precedence over other concerns. Investing in this sector should be reflected in our investment priorities, especially for a populous nation like the Philippines. We will soon have a large graying population, as our birth rate falls and the large segment of baby boomers joins the ranks of senior citizens and retirees. There are also the aftereffects of COVID infections that linger among those who have been infected. They number in the tens of thousands and would need medical attention and clinical services in the following years. We need to think of them and our still vulnerable groups in this new normal and beyond.