Some countries have contained Covid-19 relatively well, including Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. For reasons that experts are still studying, these countries have comparatively low coronavirus cases and deaths.

What I see is that their governments have a clear plan and were quick to implement travel restrictions, quarantine rules, testing, tracing, and issue clear rules and guidelines for their citizens and residents. In many cases, citizens and residents have received financial and other assistance.

The Philippines had been doing relatively well until the surge of Covid 19 cases in Cebu in mid-June. I have included the personal accounts of some Filipinos about how they are dealing with coronavirus.

Japan

As of May 25, 2020, new cases of Covid-19 in Japan were down to double digits, and the government ended its state of emergency. Japan has driven down the number of daily new cases to near target levels of 0.5 per 100,000 people with voluntary and not very restrictive social distancing and without large-scale testing. Japan focused on finding clusters of infections and isolated the underlying causes, which often proved to be gathering spots such as gyms and nightclubs.

Jay-Vee Marasigan Pangan, 28, an English teacher in Hiroshima, had a rough time during the height of the pandemic when his teaching contract was not renewed. There were bills to pay, but fortunately the Japanese government gave (100,000 yen) to every resident, including foreign residents.

Jay-Vee’s new teaching job requires him to travel to different areas in Hiroshima by train, streetcar, subway, bus, bicycle, and on foot. He says on the train and in the classroom, it’s just impossible to maintain social distancing. Otherwise, he wears a face mask, washes his hands or uses hand sanitizer, wipes down surfaces, and buys his groceries late at night when there are few people.

He worries about his family in the Philippines, in particular his father who has heart issues and his mother who has COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder).

He says one of the worst enemies in this pandemic is fake information and advices everyone to be vigilant.

Australia

Australia is another country that has contained the coronavirus. By late February, Australia had an emergency response plan for Covid-19, and it was ready to provide economic assistance. Covid-19 cases peaked in late March, and by late May, new cases have gone down to two digits.

Rose Cuisia Franco, 72, is retired and lives alone in Sydney. She says that as of May 25, 2020, Australia was slowing opening up, although seniors over 60 are still urged to stay home. She said they never had a total lockdown and were allowed to go out for food and necessities or to exercise.

She was not affected financially by the pandemic; she is on a government pension and pensioners were granted two bonus payments of 750 Australian dollars, one in April and another in July.

Rose considers herself vulnerable and is vigilant about maintaining a1.5-meter distance from other people. She does not wear a face mask as health authorities do not require it, unless social distance is not possible. She has the COVID SAFE app on her cell phone for contact tracing purposes.

Medical consultations are via phone except for getting blood tests and her flu vaccine. She does not see her children and grandchildren who are in contact with other people; she does meet her personal trainer twice a week in a park. She has had to pull back from her volunteer work for the St. Vincent de Paul Society to avoid face-to-face meeting with clients. She visits the supermarket and stores that are downstairs from her unit. She will occasionally buy takeout food.

She believes the Australian government has done very well in containing the pandemic, “aside from the Ruby Princess (cruise ship) debacle.” She adds that people follow rules.

New Zealand

Since its announcement of being Covid-free, New Zealand has lifted restrictions but maintains it will not have open borders with the rest of the world for a long time.

Monika Tawngdee, who lives with her husband and two children in Wellington, New Zealand, said that prior to the country’s new status of being Covid-free, they all had to practice social distancing: two meters in public and in retail stores, and one meter in most other places such as cafes, restaurants, and gyms.

In late May, they were still in partial lockdown called Level 2, which meant there was no international travel; business could open if they could do so safely; tertiary education facilities, schools, and early learning centers were open; social gatherings were limited to groups of ten people. They could visit local cafes, restaurants, bars, and pubs; they could resume their regular recreation activities, but limited to ten people.

Jay Montilla, also from Wellington, praises the country’s leadership saying, “The daily updates from Prime Minister Jacinda Arden and Director General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield have kept the nation up to date as well as reminded everyone what needs to be done and how we all have to work as a team. It is important that the citizens of any nation have faith in their leaders, and that those leaders be as honest and forthcoming as possible.”

Philippines

Ralph Semino Galan, 48, an associate professor at the University of Santo Tomas, was stuck in Manila when the country’s lockdown occurred. In a late May interview, he said he has been living alone in his tiny condominium unit since the university suspended face-to-face classes last March 9, 2020. Except for occasional forays to buy food, water, and basic necessities, he does not leave his unit.

To avoid boredom and depression, he has turned to creative ways. To balance the disheartening news, he watches foreign films in CinemaWorld and listens to classical music in Stingray Classica through SkyCable. He is a voracious reader and also writes poetry, in particular the diona, a type of Filipino Haiku, comprised of three mono-rhyming lines of seven syllables each.

Ruby Caderma, 68, from Infanta, Quezon, says that because of her age, she is not allowed to go out except for medical reasons. Her daughter does the grocery shopping once a week on a day determined by their barangay. Only one family member holds a pass or permit to leave the house. There are checkpoints to verify the passes. She said that people who die of Covid-19 have to be cremated and buried as soon as possible.

Maribel Paraz, a retired marketing practitioner, lives in Cebu with her helper. She said her doctor-daughter had told her to self-isolate since February because of health issues. Maribel only sees three neighbors and they practice social distancing. She says she has been greatly affected by the pandemic, financially and psychologically. The only assistance she has received was a one-time ration from the barangay of five kilos of rice, three small cans of sardines and corned beef, and a pack of noodles.

The psychological toll extends to the young. Two teenagers from Cavite, Sophia Gulle, 13, and Lakshmi Gulle, 19, told me that they feel anxious at times and worry about the future. Both stay home with their parents. Sophia who claims to be an introvert does not mind being at home although she would like the option of being able to go out, and she does miss going to malls. Lakshmi misses eating outside, going to malls and meeting up with friends and relatives.

Sophia adds, “The chances of total normalcy after Covid-19 are still a blur, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do as much as we can for a better future.”

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is a writer, editor, publisher and now a dabbler of art. Her official website is https://ceciliabrainard.com. She urges her readers to continue to protect themselves from coronavirus even while countries are opening up.

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