VIRUS versus traffic, make that vehicular and foot traffic. The air is bound to clear up, too, just look at China, suddenly the horizon clear instead of muggy, muddy brown.
In Metro Manila, traffic is slightly better now – who’d have guessed? – with more people staying home. It’s not the virus but fear of the virus. Yesterday, classes in the City of San Juan were called off because a prayer hall in the city’s biggest shopping center had to be closed down and disinfected.
Only the prayer hall was shuttered but some frustrated mallgoers had spread the word that a “lockdown” of the entire mall was in place. Blame it on the usual suspects with loose tongues and not-so-smart phones. In another mall, sales staff were overheard lamenting how a branch of their toy store didn’t have a single customer and that was at 1 p.m. Saturday, a heavy shopping day.
On Sunday, the security guard of a huge mall in Quezon City observed that “maybe 20 percent” of the weekend crowd seemed to be staying away. From what I could see, the 80 percent who showed up were mostly millennial and Gen Z types, and very very few of them bothered to wear masks. Many theaters in the cineplex were closed, not for reasons of the CoVid-19 virus but because they were undergoing renovation, uhm, a timely project.
Senior citizens will have fewer free movies to choose from but then it’s the elderly, specially those with medical issues, who should avoid crowded places. This is the message of our indefatigable Health Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque, as well as of the US surgeon general, who also advised against booking vacations on cruise ships and flying on long trips in the meantime.
On social media, a meme warns those who are gay and otherwise to “avoid touching MEN” – mouth, eyes, nose. A British talk show host advised against using bleach (!) as a mouthwash!
Myths and mistakes have popped up in the fight against the coronavirus, but I will continue my granny habits of drinking hot water, eating garlic and ginger, and washing my hands frequently, NWRB be damned. The good news is summer’s here. Like Trump, I pray the heat will kill the virus, fingers crossed.
