IT is promising indeed to know that major cities in the region have now sped up on their vaccination rollout. Officials of the regional health agency even claimed of an imminent return of normalcy among the Warays, if possible by December. If the claim doesn’t border to near impossibility, maybe in the region, it will be one jolly Christmas holiday.
With LGUs now working tirelessly and others doubling efforts in their vaccination rollouts, the likelihood of herd immunity in much of the region may no longer remain a far-fetched prospect.
So come Christmas, even if still much of the face mask-wearing and social distancing regulations remain, at least the obvious indications of normalcy will spark hope, even as its return, without doubt, will revive and bring back the economic activities Covid-19 has killed during the past several months.
In the region’s major cities today, like Tacloban, Ormoc and Catbalogan, the hustles of city life - traffic, crowds, even nightlife exchange -- seemed to have already returned unnoticed. Parks and open public places in these localities are now crowded with people young and old.
In Tacloban City, and maybe in other cities in the region too, malls have already signaled readiness of normalcy comeback. After officially launching kickoffs of the upcoming holidays, Christmas trees are now lit up as early as this month, certainly to lure and attract the public.
Talks perhaps about Christmas parties maybe in the air too now, even if the current IATF restrictions still limit meetings and gatherings.
With all the obvious excitement of us all for the expected return to normalcy, may we be reminded that, still, Covid-19 remains yet a serious health threat of us all. That should compel us to be more circumspect as we eagerly expect the revival of our normal life.