The month-long community quarantine of Metro Manila began yesterday, March 15, in light of the recent outbreak of COVID-19. The beginning of the community quarantine saw empty roads, empty malls, and a lot fewer people than what a normal Sunday would look like.
The community quarantine seemed promising, starting on a weekend. But since work within Metro Manila continues without suspension—except for establishments that have temporarily closed down—the first Monday of this quarantine showed an entirely different picture.
Netizen Marifer Rongalerios Laguerta posted photos of the border between San Pedro, Laguna and Muntinlupa City:
The photos depicted a normal Monday morning where thousands of commuters would flock to the streets, trying to get to work. This is not exactly what the community quarantine should look like. People were also requested to practice social distancing, but public transportation doesn’t make it easy.
Another netizen, Anthony Ardiente, shared photos of his commute to work. Hundreds of people have also gathered in a bus stop Cubao, Quezon City.
Many netizens reacted to these posts, saying that these employees don’t have any choice since many of them are under a “no work, no pay” policy. Most employees don’t have the privilege of staying at home in this crisis because they also have to earn money to be able to feed their families.
Here’s what the actual first day of community quarantine looked like:
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