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Frustrated, tired, and angry – these can’t even begin to describe Filipinos who have endured a year of varying degrees and sets of movement restrictions.
Still, when the government recently announced a general community quarantine (GCQ) bubble for the National Capital Region (NCR) and four neighboring provinces, some social media users found humor in yet another variation of the lockdown.
“NCR Plus” – as Malacañang calls the bubble – is composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite. The areas are under a “travel bubble,” meaning residents cannot travel beyond the borders of the merged area. The bubble took effect on Monday, March 22, and will last until April 4, unless President Rodrigo Duterte lifts or extends it.
Anticipating future lockdown announcements, Filipinos likened “NCR Plus” to phone models constantly changing, with only incremental and indistinguishable feature changes.
Others likened the term to a region of residence not recognized when signing up for premium subscription to streaming services.
‘Not a lockdown’
But the government insists the bubble is not a lockdown. In an interview with Karen Davila on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the GCQ bubble was not a lockdown since the economy remained open.
“We have of course imposed restrictions on physical mobility to avoid the gathering of individuals because we all know that these gatherings serve as super spreaders of the virus,” explained Roque.
Meanwhile, former vice president Jejomar Binay said the government’s denial that the bubble was another lockdown was an attempt to cover its tragic mishandling of the pandemic.
“Government won’t call it a lockdown because it will be an admission of their failure, neglect, and incompetence,” Binay tweeted.
How much longer?
While others resorted to making jokes, some couldn’t help but express frustration.
Ben&Ben percussionist Andrew de Pano tweeted, “When are things gonna get better?”
Some netizens found ranting against the government tiring, as no concrete solutions had been made.
And frontliners said they were tired, too.
According to researchers, the intensive care units in Metro Manila hospitals may reach full capacity by April. On Sunday, March 21, the Philippines breached 7,000 in a single-day tally of COVID-19 cases.
NCR Plus – Curated tweets by rapplerdotcomAdd a comment
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