THE BARRIERS OF DISTANCE LEARNING TO LONG TERM

INTERACTIONS IN THE NEW NORMAL

INTRODUCTION

It goes without saying that we live in an age when many of us are stuck inside the
comforts of our home that is due to the cause of this on-going pandemic which
resulted massive impact on our everyday lives. But alongside with the massive
changes, our lives continued to proceed with the hindrances of these normal things to
must qualify the new normal protocols to lessen the spread of the disease.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus disease of 2019, also known as ‘COVID-19’, is a

contagious disease caused by a newly discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome
that can cause respiratory illness in numerous people. The World Health Organization
(WHO) reported that there were a cluster of pneumonia diseases - with no deaths - in
Wuhan, Hubei province, China on January 4, 2020, reporting the first possible case
and the possible city where the virus originated from which then later been proved.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a pandemic in March 2020.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread disruptions on people’s
livelihoods, businesses, lifestyles, and in our health. It also caused disruptions in the
education of numerous students. And here are changes in the rules of the government,
changes in transportation, and the establishments we have in our country.

Schools needed to provide a system wherein it is acceptable, efficient, and safe

for the learners and the teachers. Now that the Philippines is experiencing a pandemic,
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte stated that there will be no face-to-face modality until
the supply of Covid-19 vaccine and every Filipino is vaccinated. The Secretary of
education in the Department of Education (DepEd), Mrs. Leonor Briones, also stated
that distance learning is a major component of learning delivery for the incoming
school year. Therefore, the current state of the nation forced schools in the Philippines
to stop face-to-face learning activities and move abruptly to the new distance online
learning system. Formal education must nevertheless maintain with blended and
remote learning. As the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads rapidly across
the country, schools have closed their doors and classes have been moved online to
slow the spread of the virus. The transition to online learning had an impact not only
on teachers who had to change their courses, but also on students who had to adapt to
a new learning environment. Online materials, it should be noted that these
advantages can be achieved, only if they use it wisely and with responsibility.

BODY