Last Updated on May 28, 2023 by Ellen
We are healthy. We are safe. Philippine Quarantine Day 14 was our last day of home confinement.
Our temperatures were normal again. We all feel fine – no coughs, no wheezing, no stomach trouble. So at the end of the day, after our second daily temperature check, our health worker gave our household a quarantine pass.
Philippine Quarantine Day 14
New rules going forward
We now are restricted by the “enhanced community quarantine” for our barangay (or village/neighborhood), and which aligns with provincial rules. Only one of us is allowed into town for supplies.
It’s three miles from our apartment at the Hangout Beach Resort to Caticlan – the nearest big town with stores. The barangay leaders have designated one special trike to take people from the village to Caticlan, and back. All public transport is suspended, so this is a community solution for supply runs. It’s an impressive system of local people working together, in my opinion. I don’t see anything like this happening back in the U.S.A.
Barangay officials decided only Tedly is allowed on these runs. They have issued him a pass with his name. Mom Diane and I get no pass.
Had we been told we had to chose one person to get this pass, we would have likely agreed it would be Tedly. But still. No choice kinda rubs at me bit.
On the bright side: we are allowed to go to the end of the road to the beach — and into the water! I’m so happy at that.
We will practice social distancing, as is mandatory when you step foot out in public. But the beach here is nothing like spring break in Florida. The water is a part of survival here. Fishermen are exempt from the community quarantine so they can produce food.
I also will wear a mask on the short walk to the water. That is required whenever you step outside your home, along with the social distancing.
There is a convenience store across the street, so it’s possible I will pass a few local people on my short trips to the water. I don’t want to freak anyone out – even though we cleared 14 days with no fever or health issues.
Last day, Day 14
The cable guys came to fix the connection to our TV. It went out a few days ago and we couldn’t figure out how to get the picture back. They wore masks, tinkered with wires outside, fixed it.
We thanked them, and they left.
And then, nearly two hours later, it went out again. Figures, right?!
The owner’s friend Edenia jiggled the cable box and wires inside, and she got it to work again. But it didn’t last long. Tedly fixed it, and then it went out again… and so it went, until he couldn’t get it back, and we gave up.
No problem – we still have internet and we weren’t counting on cable TV. In fact, we hardly ever watch it in normal times.
There is a certain amount of rising desperation in news reports, anyway. Coverage is finally showing it’s like to be poor in this pandemic. From India to America, people are running out of food, or they already are hungry. This bothers me so much. In fact, I’m fairly certain there are people around us who could use an extra meal or two. That disturbs me, as well.
Our own supplies are low. Dinner was some leftovers, noodles, and tasty fried sweet potatoes Edenia brought us to supplement our meal. She later also brought us fruit salad and more rice. It’s a good thing Tedly can go shopping tomorrow.
Future days
Aside from short trips to the beach, my future days will look the same as the last two weeks. I’m grateful for where we are and I will enjoy it, a day at a time. I plan to start creative writing again. It’s definitely time. And this is a great spot to do it.
Laughter that wafts through the air at the Hangout still helps. The owner and her friends have such upbeat personalities. Their laughter is a positive contagion, as my former world is set to be ravaged in the coming weeks.
Thanks for reading Philippine Quarantine Day 14.
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That’s great news about being sort of released from quarantine! Hopefully, you and Mom get added to the allowed escapees list in short order!
Also, one of these days, when our pup is in the Great Treat Factory in the Sky, we’ll start vagabonding as well. I was stationed in Germany in the late 90s and got the expat bug, and it’s never left me. The day is coming. When it does, perhaps our paths will cross for a beer and a hot tea with you two!
We would LOVE to meet you. And I get it about the pup. My dog died in 11 years ago, my cat eight years ago. I love dogs, and really wanted another – but didn’t because of this lifestyle dream.