UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
(Part Two)
Fast forward to October. We’ve planned our next trip, this time with my wife, Christine, who wasn’t keen on long haul flights except if we were going to New York City, and son, Richard. All of us are fully vaccinated so felt more secure travelling. There was great excitement as my son hadn’t been there other than when he was five years old which meant he doesn’t remember anything of that trip. Plus, we had lived in New York during our residency training there many years ago and had many great memories of that period.
This time around, there were more passengers at the airport and on our flight but nowhere near the volume pre-pandemic. It still meant we had more seats to stretch out on especially during the long flight from Incheon to New York. We still had to wear masks throughout the trip though.
Part of the planning was contacting family and classmates for possible meet-ups. My classmate, Ala Miranda had arranged with her brother Dan and wife Odette to allow us to stay in their son, Francis’ apartment in Jersey City’s Newport area. We had known Dan Miranda and Odette from our days there so we really looked forward to seeing them again. The apartment was in Jersey City which was a very short Path Train ride from Manhattan, so it was the ideal staging point to explore our old haunts. It saved us a hefty hotel bill too. What a great blessing!
Our first day in New York was spent in downtown Manhattan where we toured the World Trade Center Memorial, a tribute to the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. But New York has risen above it and a new World Trade Center is testament to the resilience of New Yorkers.
What struck me was how there were so many tourists there were in the area. Masks were still in use generally especially in indoor areas. But it was exhilarating to see such lively scenes after the images of a ghost town-like New York flashed on TV screens just over a year ago. That night, we celebrated Richard’s birthday with the Miranda family.
The next day, we went to mid-town Manhattan. Macy’s Department Store is still standing proudly and 6th avenue had been turned into a pedestrian paradise with outdoor cafes and street performers out in full force. There were so many tourists once more that for a moment you forget there’s a pandemic still raging. Walking uptown in the crisp fall weather was a delight. We heard Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, French and other languages on the way to Times Square, truly a United Nations atmosphere in this cosmopolitan city. Masks were still in use but most locals seemed comfortable without them. If you enter stores, masks were mandatory.
Richard was totally enamored of New York. Times Square with its festivity and livewire environment sealed it for him. He reveled in New York street food. To top it all, the celebrated Naked Cowboy was still performing on 46th St. in all his, well, naked glory aside from his briefs and boots.
We had a great dinner at Indochine, a French-Vietnamese restaurant with Jorge Yao, my nephew fellow pathologist and wife Grace. My grandnephew Justin, Dennis’s son, and his girlfriend, Pia completed our circle that night. I’m proud to say that Justin is the first PhD in the family with a degree in Neurobiology. We were asked for our vaccination certificates prior to entering the restaurant.
Jorge had gifted us with tickets to a Broadway musical Hadestown, Tony Awardee for Best Musical. At the entrance, we were again asked for our vaccine certs. We all had to wear masks throughout the performance except when taking a sip or bite to eat.
What lessons can be learned from our New York sojourn? First, there’s life after COVID-19. But only if we have herd immunity.
The Northeastern USA has a very high vaccination rate giving the government confidence to reopen the economy without the risk of collapsing the health system.
Now the US government requires all incoming passengers to be fully vaccinated to be admitted to the country, regardless where you come from, a most sensible decision than color coding countries.
Second, the most basic health protocol, masking, is still observed, especially indoors.
Third, vaccination certificates are mandatory for dining in and for indoor spaces.
Can we do it here in the Philippines? Yes, we can, if we can vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population. Alas, that might not be in the near future considering our slow vaccine roll-outs and lingering vaccine hesitancy. Prove me wrong, please. Let’s get back to the future!