THE world is facing an unprecedented crisis, perhaps a once-a-century threat. We know that plagues are not new in the history of mankind. In this unprecedented stay-at-home situation, people are feeling the uncertainty, and at times even anxiety. Most are eager to get out, and resume their pre-pandemic lives. But under what conditions can we safely go out and return to normalcy?
While the authorities have the tough job of delicately balancing lives versus livelihoods, we can understand the likely direction using Pandemic and BioSecurity Policy Program at Texas A&M University Director Dr. Gerald Parker’s five phases of this pandemic. The first phase is containment, to prevent the virus from spreading within the community (i.e., declaring national emergency, stopping flights from other countries). We’ve passed this stage. As of the time of writing, the virus had now spread to 185 countries, infected more than 3.5 million, with at least 247,306 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)