Party of one

By Netnet Camomot .

I’M writing this on a Saturday morning. Which is not different anymore from any other morning for those who have been staying home and working from home.

A Saturday morning was something to look forward to B.C. (Before Coronavirus). I guess it still is to those who have to go out for work that needs their physical presence.

The pandemic has taught us that health is the real wealth. Without health, money won’t even be enough to keep one alive. Okay, he may stay alive for as long as science has the cures for his illness. But once doctors have run out of cures and the body has decided to quit, will money heal his wounds?

Still, life has to go on. The Cagayanon has continued to go out for non-essentials despite the increasing number of index cases in Cagayan de Oro. Partying. Drinking. Videoke sessions. Wheee! Covid-19 symptoms will be mild or even non-existent, anyway, for most people. If you think the party you’re hosting or attending is worth the risk, then go ahead, enjoy, and have fun. But please note down the names of the attendees for contact-tracing purposes later.

In case you need more worth-the-risk assurance, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has decided to allow the 15-65 year old Pinoy to go out. Like as if the Pinoy has been following quarantine age restrictions. Haha! Lolo, Lola, the baby, and the rest of the family have been going out for non-essentials, and they’ve been hosting and attending parties despite the quarantine. They could be laughing now that finally it’s “legal” for them to go out.

And the good tidings don’t end there. The IATF has also allowed non-essential travel for the Pinoy starting Oct. 21. Yay! O di ba, ang saya-saya! This is the best news for the Pinoy who prefers to have his Christmas vacation anywhere but here.

The economy has to reopen to prevent anarchy. Since the government is now kind of prepared with its isolation units, temporary treatment facilities, hospital beds, ventilators, and testing centers, it feels it can reopen the economy pa more. Some lives may end up as sacrificial lambs but they’re a small fraction of the population. The pain for those they’re leaving behind will not be “small,” though, and those who are left to tell the tale will now have the real story behind the pandemic. It’s all fun and games until…

Until they start coughing. But if they’re asymptomatic, until the RT-PCR result is positive.

I was becoming used to eating alone and watching movies alone B.C. After a meeting or seminar downtown, I would go malling to cool down and since it’s a weekday and people were still busy working, or it was too late to invite anyone to join me, I’d go ahead and make my day. And then on my way home, I would always drop by an uptown convenience store to buy food. That was my weekday routine—making the most of my time downtown since it was already taking so long to travel from here to there.

I guess those “alone” times prepared me for the quarantine. But even my hobbies have always been the “alone” kind—reading, writing. And now, there’s Oil Painting. But travel will always be with family and friends because it’s the company, not the place.

Most people don’t like to be alone, though. They don’t eat alone, don’t watch movies alone. Instead, they wanna party with friends.

Urban Dictionary defines “party of one” as the “hot New York dinner reservation, during the coronaviral pandemic.” Ah, hehe. Kamingaw sa payag. It’s this kamingaw that people are avoiding. That’s why they leave the safety of their home, bahala na si Batman sa Covid. Kaluoy tawon ni Batman. Pareha na sila ni God—the shoulder to cry on.

If weight loss is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise, is prayer 80 percent believer and 20 percent God? Hmmm.

CDO now has about 1,200 Covid-19 cases. Not much compared to the city’s estimated 750,000 population. Ayaw kahadlok, kabalaka lang, says Mayor Oscar Moreno.

And those with comorbidities, whether they’re senior or not, should be extra kabalaka because Covid-19 may worsen their condition. The government has been reminding the madlang pehpohl about this for so long now but is anyone listening out there? Hello?