Raffin

Not many do, I'm sure. Because unless you've been to somewhere like a hospital, an office, use handles,,elevator buttons etc you are not running any measurable risk by not doing so. A grocery trip....which is about all most of us retired Expats can do these days....may only expose one to a cart handle, the surfaces of products purchased and notes from the till. Wiping all those at home before putting them away is tiring and unnecessary though it may reassure some to do that or have it done. Also the current scientific advice is that the virus, although it can live for some time on various materials, does not spread easily from surfaces so it makes sense to concentrate on the one general message of preventing people expelling water droplets from their mouths in close proximity to others. Hospitals,offices etc can add on the hand washing advice.

Raffin

https://kami.com.ph/116779-ano-impri...face-mask.html

I'm sure we wear a mask outside all the time. Except maybe inside a car? I have raised this before but said it wasn't being implemented. But from one or two reports I have read since it may have been at times. Perhaps mainly when motorists have been stopped for other offences, But you may come across some policeman or traffic enforcer who would like to make an example of a foreigner. So make sure you have one on while driving or a passenger.
Also worth taking note that Eduardo Ano's statement refers to both mask wearing and "physical distancing".
It has been pointed out that someone arrested and sentenced is then subject to a greater risk of catching the virus while being processed in a police station and being jailed.
Explaining the nature of these measures against violators Ano, the Interior Secretary, is a retired General. who made his name fighting rebels, The PNP chief comes initially served in the military in Mindanao. We\re in a sort of martial law.

FlameAura

So I can't go to visit my girlfriend as foreigners are still banned. Been nearly 5 months since I have seen her. They recently allowed outbound travel for Filipinos so we started planning her to come to Europe. Gotm annual leave sorted from work, about to start applying for her visas, and today I wake up and read they have now suspended allowing Filipinos to leave because only one insurance company agreed to offer the coverage needed!

What a joke. Completely messed up a lot of plans. Worst is still no idea when we can see each other.

Stokkevn

Problem with this ( and previous ) virus outbreaks is that no one is prepared and as situations change most governments just spend most of their time fire fighting. The only thing you can do is keep upto date of what is happening here and your end and be prepared to act quickly to either get her out or yourself in.

Raffin

FlameAura is in the same position as many here, in that for months people have not been able to travel within the country unless it is an emergency etc. Even if allowed very few buses, boats and flights operating. Even going 50kms from Manila into Cavite by car s difficult.
Yes, the government is fire fighting the virus, but they are not doing that as well as they could due to giving priority to closing down media, pushing through anti terror legislation and would you believe charter change, in a time when the need for central government intervention is so apparent.

Stokkevn

Very true but you can sometimes get surprised. a friend booked a ticket for him and wife back in May for them to travel back to the UK first week in July, Not a chance I said. But bus, boat, taxi and plane he made it, he said by good planing but I still claim extreme luck.

Raffin

Some updates on going out in the South Metro.

A dine in meal last night...like sitting in an exam hall at Uni.

On car registration at the Las Pinas LTO Seniors not allowed to go in and complete a registration. Luckily I had a non Senior with me, but several Seniors had to phone up people to help them out. The building is large and airy. Another example of risk over estimation. Inconsistent with what you find elsewhere,

Look around you at the LTO and eventually you see a clearly set out plan for dealing with the backlog from June 1. Although there was nothing to be seen online. Looks like you have a 3 month allowance before you pay a late penalty. However, don't think they will clear the backlog for quite a while mainly because of the difficulty of getting an emissions test, in our area, anyway.Took us ten days to get one, two visits and an appointment necessary.

Raffin

https://www.topgear.com.ph/news/moto...-a962-20200723

You really couldn't make this up. Although it's "clarified" by a PNP spokesman that the window down/no AC rule doesn't apply to cars some of those less well off solo drivers, with no AC, windows down, might well be done by police trying to enforce this confusing law. I'm beginning to feel sorry for them having to enforce these confusing rules. Suspect the military in charge of much of all this also don't properly understand many of them eg the JTF COVID shield commander "believes" a mask is not necessary for a solo driver of a four wheeled vehicle.
But it seems that a car driver with passenger(s), windows down, no AC and not wearing a mask can be apprehended. Perhaps even the passenger too? Even though highly unlikely to spread COVID.

Raffin

https://rappler.com/nation/big-major...-sws-july-2020

Not a surprise that 51% suffering "great stress"...this must include many in the middle class in addition to those of the poor experiencing hunger. A pity the survey didn't go into more detail on what exactly was stressing people.
I'm guessing that this sort of thing might be, On July 17 UP experts forecast the Philippines would get to 85,000 cases by the end of the month. At the time that looked a possibility but unlikely. The Palace spokesman started using the forecast as a threat to return Manila to a modified emergency quarantine. Always linking it with appeals for less violations of mask wearing, appropriate social distancing. Then a few days ago the DOH started announcing higher numbers of daily cases, so that now with 6 day's numbers to go reaching 85,000 seems certain.
Strange as the 85k is for the whole country. And is it sensible to make a big decision like that purely on case numbers? Whether by next weekend that will happen is difficult to tell as influential people and groups are split. Some putting more emphasis on the economic effects in an area which accounts for two thirds of GDP. A return to MECQ doesn't fit with what is apparently to be in the upcoming SONA...an economic recovery plan!
But for many people living in the NCR all this will add to their stress as they will think there might be a return to all the petty inconveniences of daily life in March to May, more businesses closing down etc.

https://www.pressreader.com/philippi...81526523372446

The Palace spokesman is relying on the better monitoring of asymptomatic cases to turn things around! More stress will soon be generated in the public as they see more and more cases and no clear plan to improve the situation.

Bealinehx

This afternoon I saw two motorcycles with the perspex separation screen. What a joke! On both occasions the passengers had their heads facing sideways as it was impossible to face forward. As the saying goes 'It's More fun in the Philippines'

Gazza-d

I thought I saw one the other day but it turned out to be someone taking an 8x4 sheet of ply home from the building supplies.

Stokkevn

Lightweights in your area, saw one a while ago with tin roofing strapped to each side, the rider had two jeepny/truck tyres round his waist/chest and the pillion was holding a 8x4 ply sheet sideways

Raffin

https://rappler.com/nation/no-mentio...erte-sona-2020

Interesting to learn that it's not just the usual critics, the DOH Secretary, who every day puts out the daily figures, was disappointed.

Like some other similar world leaders it looks to me that the President is resigned to the country suffering a long, gradually increasing outbreak. This approach is helped by the low mortality rate, when compared with other parts of the world, although it is slightly higher than Indonesia's , and a lot higher than the figures for Thailand, Taiwan and S Korea. Temporary hospitals will be created..but finding the staff will become more and more difficult. The economy will go further south.. Never mind... it will all be dealt with by a Chinese vaccine early next year. Many people will not be happy with that!

The Rappler news item provides a link to an interesting piece on the steps before a vaccine can eventually be deployed. Good to read qualified people are working on that, but not good that it seems not to be known about at the top.

Bealinehx

In Marikina there are already two temporary hospitals that I'm aware of. Regarding the race for vaccinations some institutions have indicated that these will be supplied at cost, while others (American of course) will not. The progress lead by the University of Oxford is encouraging. Bill Gates who is also funding research has stated that any vaccinations against COVID-19 may be in the form of multiple shots.
As an aside and perhaps an insight into current high level thinking I have a Travel Fund locked into Cebu Pacific which has the 6 month use by date extended to 2 years!

Keep safe one and all.

Raffin

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/cultur...6-out-of-80448

I appreciate not everybody will find this of interest but it has a lot of useful data and analysis and it has been put out by ANC.

Apart from the headline on active cases I would highlight that the recent positive test rate is over 10% for the whole country, just under 14% for both the NCR and the Visayas. For comparison In the US the latest 7 day moving average positive test rate is lower, at just over 8%. And we all know how things are going there.

Also, about a third of cases in the whole country are attributed to "unknown" locations. In the NCR it was over 40%! The author makes the point that if you don't know where a result came from how sure can you be about the result?