The dawn of a new day

Some parts of the country have finally reached the momentum of the desired herd immunity. It means 70 percent of its population is fully vaccinated. In Central Visayas, only Mandaue and Lapulapu are among the 23 highly urbanized cities in the country to have achieved the status.

The recent downward trend of Covid 19 infection in the country is a good development. It means the government's effort to curb the spread of the virus is working. Thanks to the undying effort of our health workers and frontliners.

For this reason, restrictions on many borders are at ease. The wearing of the face shield and transport seat barrier lifted. Kids are allowed to enter malls with fully vaccinated parents. The movie houses are getting ready to operate. Group activities and non-contact sports are permitted. The tourism industry is back to business. The face-to-face classes resume at the tertiary level and selected public schools.

We should not let our guards down because Covid 19 has evolved into a more deadly variant called Omicron. Europe has become the epicenter of the pandemic once again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns. There is no time to celebrate the coming holidays lavishly. But to continue to observe health protocol and safety standards at home, work, and public places.

People should continue to support the massive vaccination program by the Department of Health (DOH) across the country to reach herd immunity. No time to be selective because the best vaccine is available for everyone at the moment.

Local government units should continue to lead the way so that people in the community will follow. The success and failure of the national government program depend so much on the people implementing it on the ground. Full cooperation of the people in their respective communities is an essential attitude to accomplish the task.

As of this date, there are 38.6M Filipinos who are fully vaccinated. It may reach seventy percent of the total population target by the end of the year. The remaining hesitant and undecided people should waste no time to grab the opportunity to get vaccinated. If they want to protect family members, they should protect themselves first. The current vaccination of the youth and booster shots are another welcome development.

The coming yuletide season may bring heavenly hopes to many people as part of the religious tradition. However, authorities should monitor the activities during the holidays as sales promos will keep the people busy shopping at malls and department stores. This spiritual practice is good for the economy but may endanger people's health and safety.

The coming political exercise is another extreme activity that could stimulate the country's social dynamics. However, we should learn a lesson from the fateful tragedy in India during an election campaign. Millions got infected, and thousands died for violation of health protocol.

As we look forward to better days ahead with higher hopes, let us not disregard the government's effort to secure all citizens and the sacrifices of the health workers so that millions of Filipino people can live. The dawn of a new day awaits them, who can adapt to the new environment and has the iron will to survive.