A quick look back at the year just past, despite the ups and downs in our fight against this lingering virus, we have a lot to thank for as we continue to breathe while some of our close friends and relatives have passed on to the other side. 

My eyes swelled and I felt my insides recoil at the mere thought of them no longer in our midst. We have to move on, though. 

We all thought the pandemic was easing off because we were making progress then. We’re supposed to be off on a good start as the authorities were considering back during the holiday season to bring down to Alert level 1 the status in the metropolis and nearby provinces. 

Now, we’re again in a precarious state. From only 288 cases on December 23, the number ballooned to a little less than 11,000 Wednesday and is expected to increase some more in the coming days.

I can’t agree with the authorities more that most of us threw caution to the wind during the holiday season. Health protocols, particularly social distancing, were no longer observed. 

We were carefree, savoring the liberty that we’ve yearned so much in 20 months of intermittent lockdowns. Business was booming. Tagaytay, where I spent most part of the season, was brimming with people. There was a long queue at the Sky Ranch, the flow of traffic was at snail pace, and the restaurants were having its heyday.
Now, we’re reaping the consequences of our action. We’re back to square one. 

At St. Luke’s Medical Center, my daughter Roxanne observed the situation has dramatically changed in less than a week after she was discharged from an eye operation. 

It was benign then. Going back Tuesday for her mandatory weekly check-up, she noticed frenzied activities at the ER. It gave her creeps seeing that the place is now crowded, overflowing with people, most are already coughing. 
And just when we’re about to return to “normalcy,” Omicron variant casts its wide shadow with the 2022 curtain falling for Alert level 3. And based on the description of a friend whose wife was infected, this new variant leaves a trail that spreads quicker and easier. 

It feels like a déjà vu. History is repeating itself. 

According to history, “return to normalcy” was the catchphrase during the 1920 presidential campaign of Warren G. Harding, who eventually became the 29th and the most popular US president. 

At that time, the world was battling war and the Spanish flu. Fast forward to now, we are battling the third year of the pandemic and its third wave courtesy of omicron. Comes the difficult part, the country’s leadership like in the 1920 is at stake with the forthcoming general/national elections.

As the wheels of our lives churn, we all have to be more vigilant and fastidious as we step up to the omicron challenge as well as choose a desirable leadership who will steward us in our 2022 journey and beyond.

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