‘Social distancing’

Social distancing” is currently the buzzword that have caught on the fancy of the public. To stay out of being infected by the dreaded coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), all are enjoined to practice “social distancing.”

“Social distancing” is a term applied to certain actions that are taken by public health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease. “Social distancing” is a form of mitigating measure to hopefully contain a pandemic disease as COVID-19.

The practice of “social distancing” complements individual approaches in decreasing the likelihood of being infected by this highly contagious disease.

“Social distancing” is not just avoiding crowded places, or making “beso-beso,” or hugs-and-kisses. It is also trying to maintain at least one meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Why? Because when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, or get inside your body system.

As of press time Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Health (DOH) announced 33 cases of COVID-19 infected individuals, most of them hail from Metro Manila. Out of the 13 new cases, patients 21 to 24 are currently stable, patients 25 and 26 are asymptomatic while the status of patients 27 to 33 are yet to be verified by the DOH.

While two of these COVID-19 patients are in “guarded condition,” or in layman’s language in critical condition, the DOH noted with optimism there is no new death reported so far. Classified as “Patient 5” and “Patient 9” have pre-existing health situation that complicate their COVID-19 infection. “Patient 5” is the first local COVID-19 case in the Philippines who reportedly went to a prayer room at a Greenhills shopping center in San Juan City. The 62-year-old man infected his wife who became the first COVID-19 local transmission.

The couple is both confined at the DOH-run Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City as the designated national government medical center for all confirmed COVID-19 cases. The status of the other COVID patients being closely monitored by the DOH are all in “stable” medical condition in other hospitals and private medical centers where they are in isolation for treatment.

But it was the fourth and fifth cases of COVID-19 infection that prompted the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases in the Philippines, headed by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III to recommend last Saturday to President Rodrigo Duterte to declare the state of public health emergency. As such, the Task Force also raised the COVID-19 alert to Code Red Sub-Level 1. The next day, President Duterte signed Proclamation 922 to immediately implement the recommended measures drawn up by the Task Force.

However, more COVID infections were reported to the Task Force, doubling the number to ten cases even before Malacanang could release the newly signed Proclamation 922. Yesterday, the COVID confirmed cases rose to 33. Due to the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, President Duterte last Monday night also ordered the suspension of classes in Metro Manila from Tuesday, March 10, to Saturday, March 14, in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

The Chief Executive announced this himself after meeting one after the other the members of the Task Force and the Metro Manila Mayors at Malacanang. While 74-year- old President Duterte is deeply concerned about the safety of our schoolchildren who are among the vulnerable for infection, the Presidential Security Group (PSG), on the other hand, was on apparent panic mode already.

On Monday, the PSG, headed by Army Col. Jesus Durante, issued a public advisory of enforcing the “no touch” guidance on all the close-in security escorts to prevent anyone from  touching the President during official events in and out of Malacanang. The PSG is supposedly set to implement this to protect the former Davao City Mayor from COVID-19 infection now that the Philippines has confirmed cases of local transmissions.

There’s nothing wrong about this “no touch” as this can be considered as a form of this so-called “social distancing” measures. What obviously went wrong was for the PSG to make public this guidance. This could have been handled discreetly by the PSG through the Palace protocol officers who could be tapped to advise beforehand people whom the President would be meeting to avoid such personal contacts such as shaking hands, or making “beso-beso” (cheek-to-cheek kissing), nor to embrace him. 

Naturally, when President Duterte was asked by Malacanang reporters about this PSG imposition, he thumbed it down as something he could not possibly agree to nor allow. The President, who is turning a year older later this month reiterated his fatalistic views about life. In fact, he is looking forward to his previously scheduled official activities this week to visit government troopers in Mindanao and to lead the agrarian reform program he will launch in Boracay tomorrow.

Even the President’s partner, Cielito ‘Honeylet’ Avancena also reportedly urged him to avoid going to public and crowded places to avoid being infected with COVID-19.

“Eh trabaho ko ‘yan eh. Cannot. Pwera na lang kung ‘yang mga participants nila matakot. Kung ako, tatanungin ko sila: matakot pala kayong mamatay? Buti sana kung mayaman. Wala man kaming pera,” he added.

But “social distancing” has nothing to do with one’s social status in life.

In one of the DOH public advisories on how to avoid being infected by COVID-19, they came up with the acronym WUHAN that includes “social distancing” tips.

W – Wash your hands often

U – Use masks properly

H – Have your temperature checked daily for fever.

A – Avoid large crowds

N – Never touch your face with unwashed hands.

No hugs and kisses for now.      

Incidentally, Wuhan is the city in Hubei province of China which was identified as the ground zero where the COVID-19 cases all started December year.