Celebration
Divided by plexiglass per seat, certain families overcame fears of COVID infection and gingerly returned to dining in yesterday.
The occasion was Father’s Day. Marketers touted the special day as an opportunity to test the new normal in dining establishments. And some families did.
But the sizes of family gatherings must have been tempered by confusion over restrictions on movements outdoors of the elderly and minors. The lavish buffet spreads BC (before COVID) were meant for family gatherings that included lolos and lolas and all the grandchildren including infants.
Today, unless you’re Debold Sinas or some other anak ng Diyos, even family gatherings of more than 10 in your own home are prohibited. So even take-out orders are limited.
Many families have also lost their means of celebrating anything these days. The mood in many households on Father’s Day was mournful.
And of course there are still many people who are worried about getting COVID by dining in, and would rather cook for dad at home. There are supermarkets large and small everywhere I turn near my house, but all were out of beef tongue over the weekend. Lengua must be a favorite dish prepared at home for fathers.
Quarantine measures make it a hassle to go out for anything. With foot traffic still dismal even under general community quarantine, many restaurants and fast-food outlets remained closed on Father’s Day.
The spirit of celebration, raring to break free of quarantine, was in fact evident as early as Mother’s Day, May 10. It was the height of the enhanced community quarantine for Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, but more fast-food outlets had reopened for take-out and deliveries. On that special Sunday on my way to work, I saw long lines for take-out cakes outside several popular bakeshops.
But celebrations BC style are no longer possible in public places. Stuffing our faces in massive buffets during these special occasions now seems to be another lifetime ago.
Last Saturday I chatted as usual (and enjoyed the pork barbecue) of Nonong my favorite cholesterol purveyor. He said business remained tepid because of the curfew. Even if he can now stay open until 10 p.m., he says people rush home early to avoid trouble, and the streets are mostly empty by 8 p.m. He used to operate until 2 a.m.
It’s bad news for our economy and entrepreneurs, but it should be reassuring for health experts. Over the weekend, the World Health Organization warned that the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is entering a “new and dangerous phase” as people tire of lockdowns and try to return to business as usual, even as COVID-19 continues to spread and kill.
* * * Our economic situation is so dire that I avoid even singing or playing music at home these days, because pandemic tragedy might have struck neighboring households and I might seem insensitive to suffering. My guitar and piano are gathering dust.
But playing musical instruments in fact can destress and is recommended by those working with groups involved in suicide prevention and dealing with mental health problems.
The pandemic and the economic devastation it has unleashed are also posing a serious threat to mental health. Around the world, experts are reporting spikes in depression as people lose their livelihoods and are unable to provide for their families.
Jean Goulbourn, who set up a foundation for suicide prevention named after her late daughter Natasha, says male breadwinners may need extra attention as men seem reluctant to seek help for mental problems.
Goulbourn told “The Chiefs” last Friday on One News / TV 5 that calls to the foundation’s “Hopeline” hotline had jumped by 220 percent since the pandemic. Half of the calls, she said, were related to COVID quarantine woes.
She notes an increase particularly in calls from seniors, who now account for 32 percent of the callers. Most of them, she says, are widows whose loneliness has been aggravated by the lack of contact with children and other relatives under lockdown.
In late April, National Center for Mental Health chief Dr. Roland Cortez also expressed concern over rising cases of mental illnesses amid quarantine restrictions and the economic catastrophe arising from the pandemic. The NCMH hotline was receiving a daily average of 200 calls for help at the time, Cortez said.
Both Goulbourn and Cortez recommend meditation and breathing exercises to stay calm. They also say engaging in artistic pursuits under quarantine, including painting and learning to play a musical instrument, can reduce stress. Listening to music, reading, and even cleaning the house can drive away boredom and loneliness.
Their other suggestions include maintaining a healthy lifestyle: getting enough sleep, exercising, eating right, drinking a lot of water, and avoiding smoking, drugs and alcohol.
And if we are prepared to try out the new normal, we can celebrate with our relatives in a dine-in restaurant.
*** The NCMH hotlines are 0917-899-8727, 0917-989872 and 989-8727.
Hopeline’s numbers are 0917-558-4673 (Globe), 0918-873-4673 (Smart), 02-88044673 (PLDT), and 2919 (toll-free for Globe and TM).
*** ERRATUM: Last week I picked up our erroneous news report and used it in my Friday column – that the entire Central Visayas had been reverted to ECQ. Only Cebu City is back to ECQ. I apologize for the error.