01_Jonah Lyn Degayo Corpuz

Increasing, which is a sad case. Delta variant was also detected in our region and other places in the country as well.

YES. The country was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the early part of 2020 following the nationwide declaration of the state of calamity. With this, the movement of people, except for essential workers, were limited. So with the closure of non-essential establishments such as hotels, restaurants, leisure centers, among others. Public transportation were had suspended its operations too. ECQ was the highest restriction implemented. Currently, only a limited number of provinces/ cities were under ECQ and mostly, places now are under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), some with heightened restrictions.

Currently with the surge in cases, work arrangement included on-site by 30% of the workforce and the rest are on a work-from-home arrangement. This is on a scheduled rotation among colleagues for the meantime. Fieldworks were limited. As I am working in the agriculture sector, field visits are essential so travels outside the province is necessary. Inter-provincial boundaries were set-up since local government units have put-up border controls. However, with people vaccinated against COVID-19, crossing provincial/ regional borders is easier. I will complete my vaccination by September 13, 2021 so I am expecting more ease in terms of movement within and outside our region, which is Zamboanga Peninsula.

Noteworthy to mention also is that, instead of more face-to-face activities, virtual meetings, workshops and seminars were quite a few due to the constraints brought about by the pandemic. Even implementation support missions with projects funded by World Bank were all done virtually, including the virtual project tour.

Full awareness of the pandemic and its causes, respect for authority (like WHO, Department of Health, etc) and self-discipline are among the crucial steps in preparation for other pandemic. Hopefully none for the next years. A country or society should invest more on making its people healthy so access to basic health services is key. A well-thought plan and strategy coupled with an efficient structure (people and hard infrastructure) should be in place.