You must have seen this in the news or in social media; hundreds of people flocking to a store the other day in blatant disregard of quarantine rules and protocols.
According to a report in this newspaper, hundreds of people trooped to JS Footwear, a shoe store along Sanson Road in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, after the store announced it was selling shoes for as low as P1,000 per pair as a promotion for its grand opening.
When you look at it it’s actually a business owner’s dream, but it was also a nightmare for local officials because some people in the crowd waiting for their turn to get in were not wearing face masks or face shields, while practically all were not practicing safe physical distancing.
The crush of people attracted so much attention the authorities had to ask police to help convince the crowd to disperse. When that failed to produce results they had to deploy the Special Weapons and Tactics team. When that also failed they had to temporarily close the store so the crowd would be persuaded to go home.
The incident showed two things. First is that some people have a skewed sense of priorities.
Yes, footwear is a need. It makes going out of the house and various activities like performing exercise or certain tasks easier or more comfortable. For some it is even a status symbol, especially if the shoes are branded.
However, it isn’t such an immediate need that people should leave the house for a new pair of shoes at this time when there is still a coronavirus making its rounds. It isn’t such an important need that people should risk their health just to buy them.
Second is that no matter how many times they have been told, or how long they have been under lockdown, some people just never learn.
By now people should be able to recite quarantine protocols in their sleep; face mask, physical distancing, no unnecessary or non-essential trips outside the house.
However, it seems some of us have learned nothing even under the harsh months under rigid quarantine restrictions.
It is like the “binignit incident” all over again last April when people flocked to the Carbon Market to get ingredients for their traditional Holy Week treat. They risked their health and the health of their loved ones over something that isn’t really a necessity or something that important.
If this is the attitude many people have, a cavalier disregard for everything that has been taught them these past few months, then we have a long way to go before we finally beat the coronavirus.