DRRR WEEK2

JARULE MATTHEW S. DEL PILAR 11-STEM LEO

ACTIVITY 1

THE RISE FROM THE COVID-19 IMPACT

A. PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE
Physical inactivity and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) signify two
pandemics with negative physical, mental, and economic consequences.
Younger and older people have not reached the recommended physical activity
level for years. Societal restrictions due to COVID-19 additionally reduce
opportunities for physical activity, and they increase social isolation. Here, we
outline how playing exergames with others (social exergaming) at home could
foster physical and mental health and promote communication and discussions
on exergaming. Accordingly, we highlight the educational and social benefits
of exergaming at home and delineate the concept of Educational and Social
Exergaming (EASE). We outline specific benefits and pitfalls of exergaming
regarding its physical and nonphysical effects, including educational values of
discussing exergaming experiences and related topics. Moreover, we discuss
the relevance of practical guidelines for educational and social exergaming at
home as well as prospects for future research. Overall, educational and social
exergaming could alleviate several detrimental effects of both pandemics on
the health and well-being of people of all ages.

B. PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Covid-19 pandemic led to a prolonged exposure to stress. As a
consequence, researchers showed an increased interest in measuring social and
community uneasiness in order to psychologically support the population. This
increased attention might help in managing the current situation and other
possible epidemics and pandemics. The security measures adopted in managing
the pandemic had different consequences on individuals, according to the
social role invested. Some segments of the population seem to be more exposed
to the risk of anxious, depressive, and post-traumatic symptoms because they
are more sensitive to stress.  The prolonged stress could involve anxiety,
depression, and the inability to manage traumatic and negative emotions.
Furthermore, the constant fear of contagion affects daily life and leads to social
isolation, modifying human relations.
C. SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The COVID-19 pandemic has both exposed and exacerbated social
inequalities. Whilst there have been society-wide impacts from the disease, its
ramifications have not been equally felt by all. According to Human Rights
Watch, the most impacted:‘tend to be marginalized and excluded; depend
heavily on the informal economy for earnings; occupy areas prone to
shocks; have inadequate access to social services; lack social protection; are
denied access to such services on the basis of age, gender, race, ethnicity,
religion, migrant status or other forms of discrimination; have low levels
of political influence and lack voice and representation; have low
incomes and limited opportunities to cope or adapt; and have limited or no
access to technologies. And often these vulnerabilities intersect. People living
in war-torn societies, where often health systems have collapsed, are
particularly vulnerable’. Entrenched social inequalities and vulnerability
impact the capacity of marginalised people to access basic services. This
problem, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19, can undermine
social peace and intercultural understanding. For example health inequality
is linked to and determined by ‘race, indigeneity, age, (dis)ability,
gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, refugee status, class and
religion’. Indeed, those who are continuously threatened and violated within
institutional health settings, have suffered more racism, stigmatisation, and
exclusion from equitable care. The global responses to the pandemic have
seen new forms of intercultural engagement and solidarity come to the fore
on the basis of creative individual and collective initiatives. These responses
range from the creation of spaces to provide moral support and empathy, to
online platforms for intra-community solidarity, where individuals from
different cultural and religious groups can support each other and organise care
for the most vulnerable. Promotion of cross-cultural, inter-group solidarity.
Given the mandatory restrictions on movements and the emphasis on physical
distancing, many different forms of dialogue and cross-cultural, inter-group
solidarity have shifted to online spaces. These have taken a wide variety of
different forms. Spreading messages of solidarity online. The internet and
online social media platforms have been widely used to help spread
messages of solidarity and support, often across cultural and religious
divides, during the pandemic. Some of the most publicised examples of
cross-cultural solidarity include young people in Nigeria holding a virtual
dialogue series, aimed at ‘Promoting Peace through Languages and Interfaith
Events’. These online learning events aim to continue building the skills of
young Nigerians to acquire requisite linguistic and cross-cultural tools to
engage in peace-building initiatives. In order to enhance the spirit of inter-
faith solidarity during the pandemic, prominent religious leaders from
around the world, brought together by NGO Religions for Peace, held virtual
interfaith exchanges ‘for hope and solidarity’, broadcast widely on Facebook.
Participants included religious leaders from thirteen different faith traditions.
The virtual exchange ended with a shared interfaith commitment that pledged
both prayer and action in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

D. ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
The economic update says that the pandemic and natural disasters threaten to
reverse the trend of a steady decline in poverty in recent years. The results of a
COVID-19 impact monitoring survey conducted in August 2020, show about
40 percent of households reporting a fall in income. Entrepreneurial income
reportedly declined particularly among households engaged in non-farm
business. Remittances from abroad, a lifeline for many Filipino families, were
reported to have fallen for two in five households that receive remittances,
according to the survey. As a result, poverty is estimated to increase from 20.5
percent in 2019 to 22.6 percent in 2020 (measured against the World Bank
lower middle-income poverty line of US$3.2/day).The PEU, expects the
Philippines to recover in the next two years, assuming continuing
improvements in bringing down virus transmission. Policy makers are
gradually allowing more industries to resume operations, thus reviving jobs and
incomes, and boosting private consumption. This will help the economy
bounce to a 5.9 percent growth in 2021 and 6.0 percent in 2022.The PEU’s
current forecasts hinge on China’s early recovery, alongside the expected
rebound in the global economy in 2021, which will allow for export growth to
recover, and larger remittance inflows to stimulate domestic demand. The
government is expected to ramp up its infrastructure spending starting in the
fourth quarter of 2020, creating jobs in the construction sector. Pre-election
activities in the run-up to the national election in 2022 will give an additional
boost to demand as early as in the second half of 2021.The PEU summarizes
key economic and social developments, important policy changes, and the
evolution of external conditions affecting the Philippines over the past six
months. It also presents findings from recent World Bank analyses, situating
them in the context of the country’s long-term development trends and
assessing their implications for the country’s medium-term economic outlook.
The World Bank has been a partner of the Philippines for 75 years, providing,
among other forms of support, economic analyses and updates. Since 1945,
World Bank Group has mobilized funding, global knowledge, and partnerships
to support the Philippines’ efforts to alleviate poverty, upgrade infrastructure,
improve health, nutrition, and education, strengthen resilience against climate
change and natural disasters, promote peace, and enhance global
competitiveness.

E. POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Responses of subnational government units are crucial in the containment of
the spread of pathogens in a country. To mitigate the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic, the Philippine national government through its Inter-Agency Task
Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases outlined different quarantine measures
wherein each level has a corresponding degree of rigidity from keeping only
the essential businesses open to allowing all establishments to operate at a
certain capacity. Other measures also involve prohibiting individuals at a
certain age bracket from going outside of their homes. The local government
units (LGUs)–municipalities and provinces–can adopt any of these measures
depending on the extent of the pandemic in their locality. The purpose is to
keep the number of infections and mortality at bay while minimizing the
economic impact of the pandemic. Some LGUs have demonstrated a
remarkable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is
to identify notable non-pharmaceutical interventions of these outlying LGUs in
the country using quantitative methods.

F. ENVIRONMENAL PERSPECTIVE
There have been many speculations about the positive impacts of the
pandemic on the environment. Mostly connected to the restricted movement
of people due to the curfews. However, scientists cool down the enthusiasm
– it is uncertainty how our environment will look like once the pandemic
ends. The following is a brief assessment of COVID-19 on the environment
which can be considered only as preliminary as the scientific data is
awaiting further publications.
Medical waste and waste management
A big concern is over the medical waste resulting from the COVID-19
crises, including wastes generated at hospitals where COVID-19 patients are
being treated; wastes from quarantine areas; in addition to the disposable
personal protective equipment widely used by the majority of the
Jordanians.
Medical Waste represents a potential danger as many disposable materials,
such as gloves, facial masks and shoes, are made of materials hardly
decomposable in nature. If not disposed of properly, we can face to its
accumulation in our environment which can be further harmful to all
environmental elements
Chemicals in our environment
Another potential negative impact stems from the extensive use of
sanitization chemicals and disinfectants containing toxic material to the
environment. Their extended production and consumption led to an
increasing amount of sanitization/hygiene bottles and packaging that are
mostly made of hard-to-decompose plastics.
Additionally, importing of agricultural products seemed to be halted due to
this curfew which resulted in increasing application of pesticides and
chemicals by local farmers who are under pressure to produce more than
planned.
Sources: Rüth M, Kaspar K. (2021, April 9). Educational and Social
Exergaming: A Perspective on Physical, Social, and Educational Benefits and
Pitfalls of Exergaming at Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic and
Afterwards. National Library of Medicine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33897546/

Saladino V, Algeri D and Auriemma V (2020) The Psychological and Social

Impact of Covid-19: New Perspectives of Well-Being. Front.
Psychol. 11:577684. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577684.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577684/full

Mansouri, Fethi. UNESCO. (2020). The socio-cultural impact of COVID-19:

exploring the role of intercultural dialogue in emerging responses.
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374186

The World Bank Group. (2020, December 8). PHILIPPINES: While Battling
the Pandemic, Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Needed to aid Recovery.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/12/08/philippines-
while-battling-the-pandemic-strengthening-disaster-risk-reduction-and-
management-needed-to-aid-recovery

S. Talabis, D.A., Babierra, A.L., H. Buhat, C.A. et al. Local government

responses for COVID-19 management in the Philippines. BMC Public
Health 21, 1711 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11746-0

UNDP in the Arab States. (2020, May 17). COVID-19 and the Environment:
Impact and Response.
https://www.arabstates.undp.org/content/rbas/en/home/presscenter/articles/
2020/covid-19-and-the-environment--impact-and-response.html?
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