DAY 12 (Community Quarantine)

       CHECK POINT- I wake up at 4:30, wash my face, put  on my rubber shoes. At 5:00, I take off for a walk.

        It's been six days since I have been to down town Taytay, when the first two positive cases are reported and quarantine passes are issued. I have been itching to go there to see what additional precautions have been added by the LGU. 

     There's a check point now. I detour to the San Isidro's interior streets to avoid it because I maybe too early and the curfew may still be on, and also my purpose is really to exercise and just gallivant around the town. I  don't want the hassle of answering questions why I am out of the house. I don't want to lie (not that I am not adept at it).

    But the interior street of San Isidro leading to the poblacion is blockaded. I have no choice but to go through the police stop.I am hesitant because from what I observed with the Cainta side, even pedestrians are thermal scanned and asked for IDs.

     Here, I just walked by without any ado. Maybe I am just too early.

    That is a downer, though, not able to use my quarantine pass.

    BOX OFFICE- Going down from the the old municipal building, I am struck by the long line of people going to the old Taytay market. I estimate maybe 300 meters and building up. What is worrying is that people are not observing social distancing. This has been going on for days, based from posts on soc med, and the authorities have not come up with any concrete ideas to address this. There are a lot of options, top of my head:

      Satelite  store

      Mobile store

      Color code the q-pass for alternate days

      Spread the market, put stalls outside and into the vacant streets to decongest. 

     I am not an expert and I don't want to sound preachy or demanding, etc. But I can't help but look at the other municipalities and see how well they are managing the crisis compared to what is happening here in Taytay. 

      It's a cluster...

     OMEGA MAN- I have tested the water. I can go out for a walk as long as the sun is still not up because social distancing is not a problem then. I own the streets and have to share it with maybe two or three people and vehicles.

     I am reminded of the movie "The  Omega Man", the story of a sole survivor of cold war biological war, the melancholy of solitude.

      Yes, I am old and many of you may not know the Omega Man and Charleston Heston, the actor who starred in it,  but it's a far better movie than the Will Smith version. 

    I saw it when I was in grade school,  on our old Nivico 12 inch portable TV, GMAs "Early, Early Movies, and the impression it left on me was indelible. 

    Gave me nightmares then.

   The nightmares are being repeated, now.