Have you noticed that face masks have now become fashion accessories? Previously, all we could see among mask wearers were either blue or white ones that make the wearer look like a hospital worker. But now, ingenuous people, women, especially, have converted it into a part of their wardrobe, matching their outfits, and in various colors, too. Don’t be surprised if one of these days, you will meet a friend donning a face mask that matches her clothes! Never underestimate the inventiveness of the female community!
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In the United States, there has been a report about resistance to the wearing of masks by schoolchildren and it is giving medical people a headache. Especially because, lately, reports about young people, children, actually, also getting infected have been noted. I guess parents and school officials need to devise ways to make students, especially those in the lower grades, cooperate. I wonder what incentives can assure that the students keep their masks on as soon as they leave their homes, or classes?
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But we should be glad that mask-wearing is not such a big concern among our people. We are certainly luckier than other countries where outright wars are taking place, as, for instance, Afghanistan, that I used to regard as an exotic country, that is now being invaded by a neighbor, the Taliban, who, as of this writing, had already taken over 12 provincial capitals in Afghanistan. Nobody will be surprised if Kabul, the capital, has already been seized by this time.
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One cannot help wondering! Are these people not bothered by the COVID that has placed on a standstill the economy and progress of several countries? Maybe the Taliban military believes this is the best time to overrun Afghanistan, when people seem helpless and immobilized by this pandemic. I hope rebel groups in other countries, including ours, will cease and desist from their plans while this pandemic is raging because, of course, they, too, are not exempt from its viciousness.
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Is it true that a vaccine mandate is being proposed in our country? Me, I am all for the idea, because it seems the only remedy that could counter this pandemic. People in Bacolod should be happy that their officials are making such privilege accessible to everyone, by putting up vaccination centers in malls, markets, even church areas, and any place where people congregate. Of course nobody is being forced to submit, but those who are either afraid or just hesitant, may be encouraged to submit, especially if they have companions urging them.
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The catch line should be “What’s a little prick in the arm compared to the suffering one might undergo and may not even survive,” considering its mortality rate worldwide. So let us encourage our friends, our family members and even mere acquaintances not to hesitate, but to take advantage of what could be a “life saver” that our officials have worked hard to procure for us. Would you believe that 90 percent of U.S. counties have been reported to have high records of transmissions? Let us therefore not forget to be thankful to our city and provincial officials who have gone to all lengths to procure the stuff that could halt the transmission of this virus as soon as possible, and enable us to look forward to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!
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The American media made much of the news that a Jet Blue plane has been able to make a non-stop flight from New York to London. I did not hear about the number of passengers, though, or how they were able to observe physical distancing. Maybe the management had ensured that everyone on the flight had been inoculated? Speaking of inoculations, wasn’t it shameful that some Pinoys returning to their jobs or their families in the U.S. were discovered to be carrying fake vaccination cards? Shame on them! If the U.S. government requires them to be placed in isolation, serves them right!
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I was diverted yesterday by a report about the Nile River, said to be the longest in the world. It reminded me of my high school days when I used to write poems and articles for the LCC school organ, “The Ripples”. Whenever I wrote something I didn’t want to be identified with, I used the pen name “NILE”, not referring to the river, but to the first two letters of my name and my family name. Now I hope Freddie and Marianne Sia will not tease me again, but, really, I don’t mind, because some sweet things always come with their jokes. How I wish this pandemic were over, so we can meet and recall, maybe with jokes and laughter, our “Pandemic blues”.*
