A Morning Out

In the province where I live - Negros Oriental - the Governor has had us under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) since April 3. This quarantine was originally scheduled to end tomorrow, April 17, but the Governor extended the ECQ until April 30.

Folks in Dumaguete city are required to have quarantine passes in order to leave the house to run essential errands.

I live outside the city, in the small town of Sibulan. We have fewer restrictions here, but we're only allowed to travel into Dumaguete two days a week - Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. The only opportunity I have to do banking business is Thursday morning.....the bank closes at 1PM now and isn't open when I am free to travel into the city on Tuesdays.

We left the house at 7AM, headed to Dumaguete. There is an inspection checkpoint at the boundary of Brgy. Magatas, Sibulan and Brgy. Camanjac, Dumaguete. Our temperatures were taken - checking for fever - we told them what business we had in Dumaguete and after my wife surrendered her driver's license in exchange for a temporary pass, we were on our way.

Because of the route we took going toward our bank, we did not encounter another checkpoint until we arrived at the bank. Our temperatures were taken again.

Banking business finished, we drove to Lee Plaza for grocery shopping. Passed another checkpoint where our temperatures were once again take.

Due to this limited time period when folks can be out and about, the grocery section in Lee Plaza was very crowded; certainly more than it would have normally been that time of day. If the purpose of this ECQ is to limit our exposure to other people, this limiting of days is counter productive.

I have no reason to go out, except on rare occasions when a gazillion other people are allowed out. I'm home again for a while.