How Filipinos Are Coping with COVID-19, Part One: Canada, Singapore, UK, Italy
/How have Filipinos all over the globe coped with the disruptions caused by coronavirus?
Despite varied government lockdown rules, most of those I interviewed have stayed at home and limited their contact with others. They wear face masks, practice social distancing, and sanitize their hands, surfaces, groceries, mail and packages -- careful about not infecting themselves and others,
Part One of this series features Filipinos from Canada, Singapore, UK and Italy.
Canada
Gee Vee Silverio with son
In Toronto, Teresa Concepcion says Canada’s provinces have different lockdown periods. Essential services have always been open and, as of late May, business establishments and public places have started opening up. However, physical distancing is still required, face masks are recommended and no more than five people can congregate except families.
Teresa and her husband, Roger, have been sheltering at home since mid-March and have formed a safe cluster with their three children, son-in-law and infant granddaughter. They buy their groceries during the senior hours, do most of their own cooking and don’t shop online. For exercise, they take daily walks and do some gardening.
Concepcion, grandchild of Teresa and Roger Concepcion
She and her husband, who ran a few inns, had closed their business even before the lockdown and travel ban because it became too risky for their staff. Regarding financial assistance, she noted, “Our federal government stepped in quickly and decisively, and all furloughed workers got generous assistance for the period of the lockdown (four months equivalent). “As a small business corporation, we also received an interest free line of credit payable only after two years. There is also a move to assist in mortgage payments.”
“Covid actually gave us an opportunity to pause and evaluate our lives,” Teresa states, “Some kind of a reset button that we would not normally take the time to do because of our busy schedules. Primarily, it forced us to reflect on how we use (and abuse) our environment, nature, our relationship with nature, how we do as caretaker of the earth. If it is return to the way things were, we will be facing more variations of the current pandemic, plus other national disasters -- flooding, typhoons, drought, extreme cold and heat. I believe we can individually make a difference on the outcome, of having a healthier earth.”
In Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, Gee Vee Silverio had a scare when she developed COVID-19 symptoms in mid-March. Fortunately, it was just a bad cold or flu; but she has been self-isolating ever since. The island she lives on was never on lockdown except for a two-week shutdown of their ferry service from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver.
Retired from retail work, Gee Vee has not been financially impacted by the pandemic. She lives alone and has a fairly organized daily routine that includes prayers in the morning, mid-afternoon, and late at night. She used to check her mail every other day, but now does it weekly or every ten days, for bills. A friend buys her groceries and delivers these to her at the parking lot. She prefers cooking or baking on her own, and hardly shops online. Because Gee Vee’s health is compromised, she is wary about doing her wash in her building’s laundry room.
She worries about her son in the Philippines who continues to work during this pandemic; and she wonders when she can travel to the Philippines to see him.
She misses going out without the fear of being infected; she misses her friends and going to Mass and her other religious activities. She watches daily TV Masses. “We need to have faith and trust in God, to survive this pandemic,” she says.
Singapore
Noelle Q. de Jesus
Noelle Q. de Jesus, a writer (Cursed and Other Stories, Penguin/Random House) reports from Singapore.
The Singaporean government has a three-phase plan to ease toward fully reopening the country’s economy, the so-called “Coronavirus Circuit Breaker.” The government provides face masks for all residents who generally practice social distancing, hand-sanitizing and other precautions. Essential services including transportation are running; malls are closed but grocery stores, pharmacies and takeout restaurants are open. Singapore residents are allowed to go out to buy supplies; they are also allowed to exercise, preferably in their own neighborhoods, alone or with no more than two other family members. Singapore has an aggressive contact tracing program. Every commercial establishment requires visitors to “check in and log on.” The Singapore government has provided financial assistance to citizens and permanent residents.
Noelle’s household includes her husband, daughter, 22, son, 21, and a helper. They do not socialize with other people. Noelle is the designated buyer and only she shops for supplies. They generally cook at home, although they will sometimes order via contactless delivery.
Noelle worries about her American-schooled children who want to return to the US, a place that Noelle perceives as less safe than Singapore. She is also concerned about her parents and sisters in Manila, in particular a sibling who is trying to complete her chemotherapy. She wishes she could travel to help this sister.
United Kingdom
The photographer RJ Fernandez (https://www.rj-fernandez.com/about) is sheltering in her London home with her husband and five-year-old son. Because she has asthma, RJ is vigilant about wearing a face mask, social distancing and limiting social contact. She sees neighbors over the fence and only one friend. They don’t go to stores. Groceries are delivered and everything is wiped down and sprayed with alcohol. She bakes bread every other day. “Everything is made at home,” she says. She has only recently started taking walks for exercise.
RJ was able to take most of her equipment from her studio and has continued working from home. She feels fortunate she still has a couple of projects but doesn’t expect more commercial advertising jobs this year. Her husband, a sound engineer at the Elizabeth Concert Hall in London, has been furloughed. Fortunately, they have received government assistance.
She confesses that “In the beginning we all had strange dreams. Our son now has them.” They miss having friends over for meals, especially now that the weather has been warm. She regrets having to cancel a visit to San Francisco in April to see her family.
Italy
Edward and his wife
I was happy to hear from Edward Michael Costales from hard-hit Italy. My husband and I had met him in a restaurant in Rome. Edward, who is 37 years old, reports that he, his wife, and two children (7 and 12) are sheltering in their home in Rome. He alone goes out to buy the groceries. The children have online classes, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Italian government gave them financial aid (400 euros for groceries and necessities plus another 800 for rental assistance and unemployment).
Edward expects restaurants to open in July at which time he can resume work; but in the meantime, he has developed a YouTube Filipino program, Jed and Elinor (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb67yRuVIPh8QO8PvUYwsnA).
He adds that he sleeps well – and a lot -- at night.
Cecila Manguerra Brainard
Writer and editor Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is sheltering in her California home with her husband and two cats. She urges all her readers to stay safe during this time of coronavirus. Her official website is https://ceciliabrainard.com.
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