It surely ain’t over

By Rhona Canoy

SO… It looks like we’re going to live with this pesky virus for a while. Corona, Covid 19, whatever, it’s not done with us yet. And I’m still fascinated by the types of reactions being displayed as time goes on.

When news of the virus first exploded, like all things we know little about, panic ensued. Hatred for Chinese nationals reared its ugly head. This was so stupid. What could those mainland Chinese do? Wuhan was ground zero in the country where they live. Through no fault of theirs, the virus decided it wanted to play with humans. A few people have died since then. Terrible, of course, but a statistician will tell you that it ain’t so bad.

I (despite my better judgment) went to the mall a couple of days ago to meet up with some very good friends I hadn’t seen in a long while. Like I often do, I got there on time… quite un-Filipino of me but I like punctuality. Anyway, I was trying to remember all the safety tips. Don’t touch door handles if you can help it. Observe coughing etiquette. Don’t shake hands with people. And bring 70 percent alcohol in your teeny purse.

Going through the mall doors, my temperature was taken, which showed 34.7—I guess I was barely alive. There was a complimentary dispenser of hand sanitizer which people were encouraged to use. And then you would be allowed to enter. Finding a comfortable corner with a generous vantage view, I settle in for what I knew would be a long wait.

The number of people walking around the mall was surprising. It looked like a regular mall weekend. Families with tiny children, sweethearts holding hands, harassed moms rushing to get the grocery shopping done. It certainly didn’t look like there was a biological disaster ready to pounce. But then, my slightly paranoid self was afraid to put my hands and elbows on the table, afraid to touch the menu, afraid someone would recognize me and come over with a hand extended.

It certainly didn’t look like people were concerned about some prickly virus that would infect them with a serious disease. On a side note, I don’t want to say deadly because that’s so lame. All diseases are deadly if left untreated. But back on track. There was a little boy probably less than two years old rolling around in the floor on the mall concourse, right in front of where I was perched.

I would think that the floor would be scary since it’s where all those droplets end up. Of course, since we have hardly any reason to touch it unless we drop something, it escapes our consciousness. But this kid was having an epic fit rolling, screaming and kicking and wiping his cheeks on the cold tile, his hands touching everywhere. And his parents didn’t seem at all concerned. This went on for a few minutes before the kid got up on his own and waddled off. That was disturbing.

Then on the far side was the mall janitor, mopping the floor with some cleaning liquid. I kind of felt that the mall management would have been kind to these workers and equipped them with face masks, alcohol, and rubber gloves. After all, they are the ones who try their best to keep the place clean if not germ-free. I don’t think it would affect their cost of operation negatively to extend some humanity towards these underpaid hardworking people. That disturbed me.

Then there were the young lovers, wrapped up in their bubble of whatever emotion that was that they think they were feeling. They rubbed sanitizer on their hands as soon as they entered the mall, held hands as they walked towards a food stall a few feet down from me. The girl went up to the counter, held the menus while she chose their orders. The guy sat at the table with his elbows on it, waiting for his girl to return.

After ordering, she sauntered back to their table, sat down situated her handbag on the table, and then they went back to holding hands. With so much information being given out to us that we should be mindful of what we touch, I didn’t know whether I should warn them or applaud them for being young and in love. Then he touched her cheek. Oh no. Romance should take a back seat to survival. That disturbed me.

We have so much more information now than when this virus first made an appearance. We ought to know better about how to protect ourselves. But life goes on, doesn’t it? Let me say this, though. The farther we are from Metro Manila, the calmer I feel. Most of the infections seem to happen there. And yet, there is a concern too because we are so far from where the best medical facilities and services are being concentrated. On those privileged eight to 10 million people who live in the NCR. I often wonder what we are going to do when that outbreak hits here. And hard.

But life will go on. Maybe this is nature’s way of culling the herd. Survival of the fittest and all that crap. I don’t think al humans are going to get wiped out from the face of the earth. A lot, maybe, but not all. And we all hope it won’t be us. The only thing good about this is that people, instead of rushing you and taking you to the nearest bonfire, will run far and fast away from you.

Now that I think about it, maybe if I tell people I’m Covid-infected, they’ll leave me alone.