by Gem Erika Lee

Wake up, work, eat and sleep. For majority of us who were fortunate enough to be working from home, the routine has not changed at all. The thing that has changed, however, was that no one is allowed outside the home for our own safety — and for fear of catching the virus. It is far from deadly, except for those who are in their golden years, but the unseen enemy is also a threat to those who are young, but with weaker immune systems.

I happen to be one of them — my asthma, though it has not triggered in years, made me immunocompromised. It isn’t much of an issue for me to begin with as I have stopped going out of the house since the option to work from home has started, but it still brought some minor fears. In a household with so many people and so little rooms, it was easy to transmit sickness from one another. Thankfully (and with proper precaution), the virus has not hit our community or in our household.  I count my blessings that I have enough food to eat, a roof over my head and a continuous source of income.

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This global pandemic made everyone yearn for the past norms — things that we used to take for granted. A getting a haircut, going to the grocery store, or even the act of being outside and able to meet with our families and friends and spend time with them — all of them seem out of reach. While most are home with family, others are stranded at their place of work with no way to go back home. Funds dwindle. People start getting desperate. Lines at groceries and checkpoints are long. “What social distancing?” some say as they wait for hours under the sweltering heat just to get their needs. “Stay at home!” politicians urge the masses, as doctors and nurses — all swamped and tired and every day are at risk, but never backing out on their sworn duty, begging “We need more protection, we need testing, we need the support.”

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And in the midst of it all, what have we all done? The news is a mix of good and bad, hope and despair. Sometimes it’s just better to tune out for the sake of sanity, but even that seems too much of a privilege.

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When the Filipino people are so close to citing civil unrest, is anything still worth doing? But then we remember, we are resilient, no matter how many weeds are present (using our hard-earned taxes to buy drugs or gamble), there is always a ray of hope. I’ve seen people I know start gathering funds to provide protective equipment for those on the front lines , or provide hot meals and relief goods to those in need.

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As I am bound to my own home for my own sake, I do my part by being a part of an economy that still functions, supporting in my own way. Communication has been my savior as I get to talk my partner every day. In this times that everyone is forced apart, communication is, more than ever, very important. With it brings the support and sanity we need.

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And until the threat is still present, this is our new normal now.