ACTIVITY 1

COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred in the beginning of last year, there’s a lot of safety
protocols that were implemented by the government to prevent a higher mortality rate. The
Department of Health (DOH) emphasized that the outlook of the country’s pandemic response is
highly dependent on the public’s compliance to prescribed health protocols. In the June 6 Beat
COVID-19 Virtual Presser, Health OIC-Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire explained
that the public must remain vigilant and practice the infection prevention and control measures,
such as proper use of PPEs, physical distancing, and proper hygiene, to help limit the spread of
the virus. The government of the Philippines also implemented lockdowns in specific areas of
the country that have higher rates of COVID-19 virus. As community quarantine measures are
eased in many parts of the country while others stay unders some form of lockdown, people are
asking whether they can travel to and from areas under different levels of quarantine. The
different levels of quarantine are; enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), modified enhanced
community quarantine (MECQ), general community quarantine (GCQ), and modified general
community quarantine (MGCQ). Safety protocols are based on the level of quarantine in a
specific area and each of the different levels of quarantine also differs from how many are
infected or if the COVID-19 virus has a higher or lower rate in that specific area. There were
also travel bans in the country to prevent spreading virus in one area to another. Another safety
protocol that was implemented in all areas of the country is wearing a face mask and face shield
at all times when going outside of home and social-distancing must be maintained at all cost to
prevent the virus from spreading rapidly.

It is very important to follow the safety protocols implemented by the government like physical
distancing and wearing of face masks because it prevents us from catching the virus from other
people that may be infected. COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets or contact
with contaminated surfaces. Exposure can occur at any place at any time especially while
travelling to different places or places far from home that has many people so we must maintain
social-distancing and wear face masks at all times because prevention is still the most effective
intervention against COVID-19. Stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic have
gone into effect in different areas of the country. While the hope is everyone voluntarily complies
with these types of orders, having a formal executive order allows some ability for governments
to regulate movements of people and closure of businesses in order to slow the spread of
COVID-19. We should know that we are responsible for our own safety but we should be
considerate as well to others and be responsible also for their safety. That means, all of us must
follow the guidelines and safety protocols implemented by the government to help prevent the
virus from spreading rapidly not only because we don’t want to be infected but also because we
don’t want others to be infected as well. If we don’t follow the safety protocol, we are not only
risking our lives but also the lives of others especially our family and loved ones.

The advantages of following safety protocols is, it enhances our sense of responsibility in terms
of our health and safety and also our responsibility towards others. Safety protocols made us
more conscious of what is happening around us and why must we follow the guidelines because
of the situation at hand. Safety protocols prevent further risks to occur and it gives us the
advantage of awareness and knowledge on how to handle situations like COVID-19 to help
lessen the virus from spreading fast. I would convince people to follow the safety protocols by
always reminding them consistently and explaining to them the importance of following the
safety protocols. I will always advocate it to people to help spread awareness and give them
knowledge regarding the matter so that they can prevent doing what they weren’t supposed to
do and be mindful of their actions because their actions can affect others the way it can affect
them themselves. I would also convince them to help advocate safety protocols to constantly
remind people that this is a serious and important matter and it’s for the safety of the majority
and for the betterment of our country as a whole. I believe in the phrase “prevention is better
than cure” because it is sensible to stop a bad thing or an illness from happening in the first
place than to have to deal with awful problems, worse health issues or damages later. And if all
the people are following the safety protocols, then we can prevent the worst from happening
and a lot of people won’t suffer.