IT was almost two years after the Covid-19 virus started to lock down the Philippines and many parts of the world. The government announced that effective on March 1, 2022, Metro Manila and some parts of the country shall be at Level 1 of the five-level alert system established on Sept. 13, 2021. Many people thought that the country is now moving to the so-called new normal. Worst, some thought that we're going back to the same pre-pandemic normal.

After a few days of Alert Level 1, traffic jams started to become the usual nuisance on the streets. Some schools started face-to-face classes, some employers recalled their employees to the office, and it's 100 percent back-to-the-office for many government agencies.