MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
With a new government under a new president, and the past staying in the past, it’s a useful exercise nonetheless to glance back and see how far we’ve come since the last two-and-a-half years. (I for one cannot imagine what those early Covid-19 times would’ve been like under a president other than the bold and tough-talking, fearless DU30.)
- Avoid crowds. Three’s a crowd? How about 300 or 30,000?
- Airports and bus terminals half-empty.
- ABS-CBN’s franchise, gone with the wind.
- Antigen. RT-PCR.
- Bored? There was always Netflix.
- Beauty salons, barbershops, where’d they go?
- Collect ayuda, the more the merrier!
- C L O Y
- Contact tracing, what a task!
- Disinfect every arriving package.
- Double-masking for the paranoid.
- Downsized wedding receptions.
- Declutter, discover Marie Kondo.
- Exercise, best in the sun.
- Even nuns and priests die of Covid.
- Forget about parties, political and otherwise.
- Face shields, a must-have fashion accessory.
- Frontliners, our heroes.
- Fresh award-winning idea: community pantry.
- Hanging on to every word of DOH Usec Rosario Vergeire (now OIC).
- Hoard alcohol, alcohol, though not the kind you drink.
- Handwashing, sung to the tune of “Happy birthday” for 20 seconds.
- “House repairs can wait.”
- Ivermectin, the big question mark.
- Memorize every acronym – IATF, FDA, EUA, NTF-ELCAC, OCTA, etc.
- No movie dates.
- No malingering at the mall or supermarket.
- No PDA, said PNP.
- No riding in tandem unless you’re assassins.
- Nightclub habitues arrested for having fun without masks on.
- No fiestas, processions, only campaign rallies.
- One meter apart for bus/jeepney passengers.
- The rise of data analytics: Guido David and Edson Guido.
- One Hospital Command Center.
- Pray at home.
- PPE!
- Pharmally, Dick Gordon’s nemesis.
- Shoes should be left outside the door. (Myth.)
- Take a bath immediately after coming from outside. (Who said?)
- V for vaccines, vit. C, VCO.
- Wrap vegies in plastic. (Rumor.)
- WFH, or else NWNP (no work, no pay).
- Michelle Silvertino, R.I. P.
- The rise of food deliveries as an industry.
- Zoom in for teleconferences.
- Zumba gatherings take time-out.
- Tiktok takes over.