Even the ghosts will ‘get mad‘ if we go to the cemetery

By Alex P. Vidal

 

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”—Harold Wilson

 

THERE was no need actually for some local chief executives to tell the people not to visit the public cemeteries during the All Souls’ Day, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and the Day of the Dead, on November 2, now that we are still being pummeled by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

It’s common sense.

All Souls’ Day is a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died, which is observed by some Christian denominations mostly in a public cemetery, a potential COVID-19 spreader.

Even if those bound for the cemetery will wear a face mask, there is no guarantee they won’t be zapped by the pandemic, which has killed 938,104 people all over the world as of September 15, because they are still bound to violate the social distancing.

Without any warning from the authorities, however, some family members would still be sneaking inside the cemetery to lit candles or offer flowers to their departed loved ones.

Even the ghosts wouldn’t appreciate these acts, especially if it’s obvious the number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines continued to rise and health and civil authorities were in a mad scramble how to contain them and reduce if not halt the statistics on infection and death.

 

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THESE past five days, some of us have experienced a cold weather here in the East Coast even if fall has not yet officially arrived.

Some of us who fear the so-called coronavirus “second wave” here in New York are becoming jittery even if we only have sore throats and were sneezing (probably due to allergy brought by the changing weather).

New York City officials know COVID-19 cases will climb this fall. The question they are watching as the city moves to reopen is, just how much?

Autumn, also known as fall, is known for its shorter days, colorful leafy landscapes and cool, crisp nights, but Americans looking forward to these fall staples had to wait a little longer this year as summer lingers across much of the United States.

The autumnal equinox will mark the official changing of the seasons with fall kicking off on Sept. 22.

This may seem like a long ways away for some, but a team of long-range forecasters has been busy for weeks analyzing global weather patterns and different forecasting tools to paint a picture of what weather will unfold across the United States in the coming months.

 

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SCARY ‘SECOND WAVE.’ The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has been reportedly working with academic groups at Columbia University and New York University for months.

The academic teams have been asked to model case numbers, help predict needed hospital resources and to advise the city on how to open up workplaces, schools, restaurants and more.

Drew Armstrong of the Bloomberg reported that the disclosure September 15 of a COVID-19 case at the New York offices of JPMorgan Chase & Co. “is likely just the latest example of what will happen as businesses push to get workers back to the office, and people begin going back to school and returning to restaurants and gyms.”

Experts from two academic groups working with New York reportedly described in interviews what’s likely to be a significant increase in cases this fall, but with the opportunity to stop the worst with careful public-health measures like masks and social distancing.

“If you do these types of phased reopenings, there are going to be certain increases in transmission activity,” Columbia University’s Jeff Shaman, who is part of a team working with the city to predict the path of the outbreak. “Every model will tell you you’re going to see increases in cases.”

According to Jay Varma, senior advisor for public health in the New York City Mayor’s Office, the city is likewise planning for a resurgence, while trying to restore as much normal business as possible.

Varma said: “Even independent of having any mathematical backing for this, we have been planning around the assumption that there will be resurgences of this infection.”

 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)