Covid hits Boracay.

[Snowy79]

Having passed the guilty resort most days you can safely say covid is here to stay in the Philippines for a long time. Lack of social distancing or use of face masks etc is obvious.  They've like in the UK etc adopted the atitude that they feel fit and healthy so there can't be a problem. Of course with a lack of testing and poor medical facilities I'm sure no more Covid will be found. 

Even going for a swim the practice is to approach the lifeguards, get your hands sprayed with alcohol, temperature taken and fill in contact details. I swim regularly and at times my details are the only ones recorded yet there's plenty of people in the sea. 

[Explorer]

8 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

Even going for a swim the practice is to approach the lifeguards, get your hands sprayed with alcohol, temperature taken and fill in contact details. I swim regularly and at times my details are the only ones recorded yet there's plenty of people in the sea. 

LOL... what next in the Philippines? Disinfecting your soap bar before taking a shower?

[Mike J]

5 hours ago, Explorer said:

LOL... what next in the Philippines? Disinfecting your soap bar before taking a shower?

I find it interesting that you are critical of Philippine covid preventive measures, yet you list your location as being in the USA which leads the world in cases and deaths. Things here may be either lacking or overboard depending on the local enforcement, but all considered the Philippines has handled covid far better than many countries.

[RBM]

15 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

Having passed the guilty resort most days you can safely say covid is here to stay in the Philippines for a long time. Lack of social distancing or use of face masks etc is obvious.  They've like in the UK etc adopted the atitude that they feel fit and healthy so there can't be a problem. Of course with a lack of testing and poor medical facilities I'm sure no more Covid will be found. 

Even going for a swim the practice is to approach the lifeguards, get your hands sprayed with alcohol, temperature taken and fill in contact details. I swim regularly and at times my details are the only ones recorded yet there's plenty of people in the sea. 

Snowy interesting how you and all of us single out mostly Philippines. Last night while watching a news report on Northern beaches Sydney it was interesting to see the majority of people walking the streets with out masks......Its well proven masks will save others from infection if one has covid. Also some restos open and unmasked patrons enjoying. Times are restricted how ever covid knows no times.

Why one would bothers signing in with a guard on an beach beats me, a swimming pool, sure but a beach when alone???? 

[RBM]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

I find it interesting that you are critical of Philippine covid preventive measures, yet you list your location as being in the USA which leads the world in cases and deaths. Things here may be either lacking or overboard depending on the local enforcement, but all considered the Philippines has handled covid far better than many countries.

I would accept this if...I was convinced testing was up to scratch which in my area certainly is not. Suspect same all over. Financial advantages for many including, but not only hospitals, take priority. This statement I know to be factual as a friend whom is a doctor and discussed has spoken about it.

[Snowy79]

1 hour ago, RBM said:

Snowy interesting how you and all of us single out mostly Philippines. Last night while watching a news report on Northern beaches Sydney it was interesting to see the majority of people walking the streets with out masks......Its well proven masks will save others from infection if one has covid. Also some restos open and unmasked patrons enjoying. Times are restricted how ever covid knows no times.

Why one would bothers signing in with a guard on an beach beats me, a swimming pool, sure but a beach when alone???? 

I highlighted also the UK has an attitude not just the Philippines.  I think the idea of signing in for swimming and getting your temperature checked is just another opportunity to maybe find someone with a temperature outside the safe zone which may prevent it from spreading. I personally believe that if they had enforced an extremely strict quarantine for a month the virus could have been eradicated in most areas.  Sadly human nature being what it is some are above the law and others are too selfish to put up with hardship even if it saves lives. 

My ex just messaged this morning to say her 8yr old daughter is being held in Cebu. She had mesaged to say they were visiting cousins in the North of Cebu and on the way back decided to stop off at a Safari park. At the park they all had their temperatures taken and her daughters was too high.  They are now held until someone can decide what to do.

They are from the Moalboal area which has had cases but I'm led to believe is pretty safe now.  Where they live it's a tight knit community where families wander in and out of each others houses.  If her daughter is positive that temperature check could have saved a further outbreak in the Moalboal area which is popular with tourists, so you can see how this virus can easily jump locations.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Snowy79

[hk blues]

Let's all be honest here, nobody wants the restrictions and on an individual basis doubt the need for restrictions - certain countries/cultures actually kick back against that and comply at the minimum level and others comply at the maximum level.  If you take a look at the infection rates you can easily see which countries are which. 

Everything else around this is noise.

[Explorer]

4 hours ago, Mike J said:

I find it interesting that you are critical of Philippine covid preventive measures, yet you list your location as being in the USA which leads the world in cases and deaths. Things here may be either lacking or overboard depending on the local enforcement, but all considered the Philippines has handled covid far better than many countries.

I don't believe Philippines has handled covid far better than many countries, you are comparing apples to oranges, life expectancy in Philippines is very low, so not many old people to get infected, testing is not extensive as in other countries, also in the provinces, rural areas, many people have no access to hospitals. Grandfather of my GF died few months ago in rice farm in Negros, just died in his bed, no hospital, no covid test.

And by the way, where did you get the idea that I am critical of Philippine covid preventive measures? If you read my posts you will see that It is actually the oposite, I was questioning why Boracay is letting people fly out of the island without a PCR test, especially when they had contact with covid.

[hk blues]

54 minutes ago, Explorer said:

...life expectancy in Philippines is very low, so not many old people to get infected...

Again, I raise the point that the definition of old people has to be adapted according to mortality rates.  A 65-year old in the USA may not be defined as old there but will be here.  Old age is not so much the number but the medical conditions that come with it - that's highly relevant in the Covid-19 pandemic.

[Snowy79]

51 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Let's all be honest here, nobody wants the restrictions and on an individual basis doubt the need for restrictions - certain countries/cultures actually kick back against that and comply at the minimum level and others comply at the maximum level.  If you take a look at the infection rates you can easily see which countries are which. 

Everything else around this is noise.

I'll be honest that I don't want the restrictions but I can see the need for them.  As for those countries kicking back I can easily see by the death rates per million. Belgium the UK and the US being perfect examples where many have kicked back. 

I'm sure the Philippines would be right up there if proper testing and treatment took place.  I don't know anyone here that has personally died of Covid but I know two foreigners that have died due to lack of treatment for other conditions due to an over rection of the hospitals in refusing admissions.  That's on an island with very few cases of covid.  Imagine if Covid really took off to the US and UK levels. Hospitals would be closing their doors to almost everyone leading to thousands of avoidable deaths.