The 3 T’s of the new normal

As we have “survived” the first half of 2020, people are still reeling on what really feels like to be in the “New Normal”, but let me remind everyone that we are not yet into the “New Normal” since we still carry the term “Quarantine” in our day to day life. As long as we have these term Quarantine tag in all our lives will never be “Normal”.

For the new normal to kick in, the Government must implement the Three T’s properly - the three T’s are Test (testing those individuals for possible Covid 19 patients); Tracing (contact tracing of those individuals that interacted with those individuals “being” tested); and Treatment (isolating those possible Covid19 patients and lockdown of household that were identified that have interacted with those individuals).

These three T’s are the current best solution for the Covid 19 pandemic, the major problem now lies in how it is being implemented by the Government. For the first T, the testing kits being used the Rapid Test Kits and the Swab Test Kits, both of which do not really provide 100% identification of the Covid 19 strain but the later (Swab Test Kits) proves to be more accurate, thus Government should focus more on having those kits for our first T’s. From the current update of the DOH, there are 10 Million of these test kits available for use, and we hope that the Government may be able to distribute all these test kits for public consumptions.

The second T, would be tracing, based on the report being given by DOH they are planning to hire contact tracer for a budget of Php11.7 Billion. For me, this is a huge waste of government money and can easily be use for political control of local and even national officials. This can easily be used to place people under their so called “utang na loob” system. The better way to implement contact tracing is to use Technology in identifying people’s movement and whereabout.

Currently all LGUs have been issuing printed copies of Quarantine Passes for their constituents and those passes can easily be replicated. In order to minimize falsification of these passes and to mobilized as a tool for contact tracing, why not employ a program that generates a QR code to each applicants for a Quarantine passes and those QR codes should not just be for presentation, but scanners for specific check points, business establishments, and government establishment should be set up and every time a citizen enters their respective premise they should present a valid ID that will used to identify the holder of the QR Code Pass, then the QR Code Pass shall tap to the scanner to be allowed entry and tap out to be allowed for exit.

With this system the QR code already identifies the holder from where they went, what time, and if they can go out of their household. A program for these can easily be used and people will have a much faster way of checking and tracing the people that might have been infected with Covid 19. No need to fill out paper documents, just tap in and tap out. No need for police to touch and see people inside a vehicle, just tap in and they will see who the holder is and if they are valid to pass. Safer and quicker.

For the final T, treatment, the government thru proper channeling of their resources, may be able to renovate all buildings of the Government currently abandoned or not in use in order to be renovated as temporary isolation areas. Hospitals should be re equipped to be able to treat major respiratory syndrome of patients with suspicion of Covid 19 infection. Then strategic lockdown of those houses, barangays or even district of those traced (via QR code search) of possible infected individuals by these patients. The term strategic means locking down a household or a subdivision, a barangay, a district. BUT not a whole archipelago. By doing this, business and other economic inducing industries may reopen.

These Three T’s may also be implemented to returning OFW and Tourist or Travelers. Upon entry at our respective ports (air or water) each income individuals shall be given a test, a QR code (based on their identification – passport shall be the details), then quarantined until the test results goes out. Then upon their exit from their quarantine stage they may be traced and monitored due to the QR code technology.

All of these are basic and are necessary for us to thrive towards the New Normal. The only problem now lies with those people who sits in power to implement this. Will pragmatic logic be used, or self-serving actions be implemented. We are not winning the fight against this Covid 19 Pandemic. No one needs to cheer or be happy about the first 6 months.---Marco Fernando L. Ng, CPA, CIA, CFE, CGMA (The author is currently the Managing Partner of M. Ng & T. Lopez partnership firm, one of the boutique firms in Metro Angeles. Prior to establishing the firm, he had worked for years in New York City with one of the largest local auditing firm there and focuses on hedge funds and private equity funds. He had worked with two of the largest auditing firms in the Philippines wherein he was under its Fraud Investigation and Dispute services and Assurance services, handling corporate accounts and public listed compani es)