The missing piece
The entire Philippines is now under Alert Level 2 until December 15, 2021, based on the latest declaration made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF.
Under the Guidelines on the Nationwide Implementation of Alert Level System for COVID-19 Response, Alert Level 2 refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.
The current classification means that many establishments, or activities, are allowed to operate, or be undertaken at a maximum of 50% indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below 18 years of age, even if unvaccinated, and 70% outdoor venue capacity.
The relaxation of the health protocols nationwide is good for the economy as many people are expected to enjoy more freedoms outside of their homes. But less restrictions imposed by the government should not be understood as an authority to be complacent or reckless. We are not yet off the hook.
In Norway, a corporate Christmas party turned out to be a super spreader event after at least 13 people have been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and the numbers could rise to over 60 cases.
The foregoing situation illustrates that less stringent health protocols call for the exercise of more caution on individuals and businesses. At this point of the pandemic, we are no longer considered as blind or defenseless as far as our enemy is concerned. We know how the virus spreads, and we know how to avoid getting infected. Vaccines and medicines are already available. We have practically all the tools to fight the pandemic. How else can we possibly fail in this fight against COVID-19?
We hate to admit that a man who has everything has nothing. All the available tools in fighting this pandemic will not be effective unless we use them with abundance of caution. In all accounts of COVID-19 infection, prudence turns out to be the missing piece.