The local transmission and on-going contact tracing resulted for us to work in skeletal schedule; we worked three (3) times a day per week. At first, I didn’t like my schedule because my friend and I have a different work schedule, but upon realizing I will have a long weekend, I was happy with it.

The first two weeks was very tiring, because there are a lot of things to do on and off the office. My office mates, initially avoided being in contact with me, because they said I go out a lot running errands, so I might be a virus carrier without their knowing. To make things worse I was banned or asked not to go upstairs and stayed in the upstairs office too, it was fine because I can still go upstairs when Mam N was not around (lol), but just a week ago the office was totally closed for everyone with VM’s advice just to be safe, because two (2) government offices were in lock down because of positive cases among the employees.

We did some repacking of goods in the office, actually we helped. Everyone received a sack of rice from their bosses that day, except for me and as expected my office mates teases me a lot and I just smiled with them.

Almost a year after the pandemic the town of Odiongan recorded its first case of Covid-19. It was imported, and there was no panic because the positive case was isolated right away, but everything change almost a month ago when a local transmission occurred in the neighboring town, and then spread like a little fire in Odiongan town.

[Photo courtesy of Bong Gabutero de Villena]

There were already 86 cases, one death and lots of recoveries so far, but since the local transmission started government and other private offices were in skeletal work, some work from home as well, but those jobs that requires collecting of money and meeting a lot of clients everyday was halted until further notice while the contract tracing is still on-going.

[Photo courtesy of Jessa Famero Solano/Bulig sa Tabobo-an]

Filipinos are known to be hospitable and known to be resilient, with the current situation of the Philippines a community pantry emerged in Manila, neighboring cities and now even in Odiongan. Every barangay in the town has their own community pantry where anyone is free take food or household items they need and anyone could drop off whatever food/items they could donate.

The community pantry was a powerful idea of Maginhawa Community Pantry with a theme “Give whatever you can, take only what you need”