AT first, “deny to death” was the standard practice.
This was during the first month of the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) in March last year.
It was glossed over as “false alarm,” “Sto. Tomas is Covid-free thus far” was the standard line before.
Until cases spun out of control and covering the no longer “unrecoverable” tune would also change its tone into “acceptance” of the real situation, and slowly local government units in the province and elsewhere started putting up and updating their own tally boards of daily covid cases, active cases, recoveries, fatalities, etc.
Until people became used to it, “accustomed or habituated to” the current situation.
It could be human nature and applicability of a line that says “familiarity breeds content.”
For instance, out there in Lipa City, Mayor Eric Africa immediately locked down his city even when cases of Covid before were only logging between 20-30 cases per day.
We said the mayor was overacting (OA) then. He also ordered light industrial workers to temporarily stay in their workplaces that time.
Now it's the other way around. Lipa even hit highs of more than 100 cases in a single day yet the local chief executive said never that he’ll shut down business establishments again as people and businesses would suffer more.
Other cities, Tanauan, Batangas City, and Sto. Tomas also obviously followed the same tack.
Because life must go on.
Sto. Tomas has now overtaken the three other cities in daily cases but as we’ve said people and the city government seemingly have gotten used to it, to the big number of daily Covid cases.
From May 1 to 7, the city of Sto. Tomas led all comers with around 200 cases but people barely talk about it anymore although police are always on the prowl reminding people on minimum health protocols.
As it is, to immediately end this pandemic, the one habit that we should get used to is observing the basic health and safety protocols especially proper wearing of face masks in public and social distancing.