Quarantine pass: Now I can walk around without getting arrested

Here in the Philippines, I asked a friend if they thought the above title was a good title.  They responded, "No that title doesn't work because that's not the purpose of the quarantine pass.  I am only supposed to use it for going outside to buy essential goods."

Anyway, here's the update. 

On April 24th, I got my quarantine pass here in Taguig, Philippines.  A 'quarantine pass' is something which I'm still learning about what exactly this all entails.

lIronically, I also was reading news that Texas is already opening up some businesses, while I'm being further restricted. So it's kind of funny that here in the Philippines it's the same day I got my quarantine pass, which is a tool used to constrict and further the lockdown.

A few days later I watched an interview with the Las Vegas Mayor ready to open pretty much everything. I sure think it's a good idea...

Look at this text from someone i met once in Philippines albeit (not one of the best English speakers here).

I think that the 'enhanced community quarantine' or lockdown in many places has already ruined businesses that have taken years to build, and is also resulting in many people around the world, including in USA specifically, Las Vegas, literally starve.

Anyway, I know that in most other areas in the Philippines, people got their quarantine long before I did. They've been a little bit relaxed with us here in Taguig City. I also know that the government passes food out to the LGU (Local Government Unit) and then that is supposed to be passed out to resident there.  However, I have not received any, and it's okay, I still have my online company and an income.  But, my staff have received theirs, and they also still have the income from Handshaking.

Additionally, here in Philippines, check out this problem where authorities are getting out of hand with their power instead of helping actually enforce social distancing, or at least in that example. 

Shocking News:
I learned from one of my friends that he was actually picked up by the PNP (Police) or Philippines Military and told that we're not supposed to be walking around. He was held for 45 minutes, along with many others.  He fortunately was prepared and has a Filipino attorney, but the rest of the people picked up had to stay longer.

So, I guess it's a good thing I got the quarantine pass because I'm supposed to carry that everywhere when I walk outside. SO, that's my update today.

I think in other homes where there's a big family or lots of people or lots of people living that they are assigned only one quarantine pass per household, which means that only one person can go do the grocery shopping. Earlier in this lockdown, the began requiring facemasks to enter and now you're on your own to carry all the groceries.

Before Enhanced Community Quarantine become stricter
I was enjoying walking around with my friend Joe, the CEO of Empire Flippers, and some other online entrepreneurs. We even found a place where we could order beer to go, and there was a seating area. But for the past week, since I heard about what happened to my friend who got picked up, I have not left the house much at all.

Now that we're so far into the lockdown, I wanted to give some opinions on some cultural differences. I've noticed people in the U.S. are demanding their freedom and getting upset and wanting to get back to work, which is kind of funny because here in the Philippines, I've not seen people complain as much about getting back to work.

Although, I think it's an even more important thing that people get to work here. I've talked with people I know here in the Philippines that have said they're more worried they're going to die of hunger than the virus. Although, I hope that they were joking while they said that, there's a little bit of truth in every joke or lie. I forget the quote.

Additionally, one of the first people I met whom I stayed in contact with is completely out of work, and also out of supplies that they received from the government.  They are out of food and income right now, and GUESS WHAT.

They do NOT think the lockdown should be lifted yet, even though the lockdown is what took away the income.  Mind boggling, right?  

Anyway, it's pretty cool being in a different culture than my own and learning to listen with both ears, because if i was just in the US I'd just be talking about my opinions, but those are less welcome here, which is fine, since I'm just a guest anxious to learn what goes on in the mind of Filipinos. 

Anyway, additionally, my application to receive any loans from the government has still not been reviewed. I also have not received my stimulus check. It's not really possible to call banks because it's in the middle of the night here, and hold times are typically over an hour.

In fact, Chase is completely unreachable, despite me having a few charges i need to immediately dispute, like my cancelled flight with Philippine Airlines, who also is completely unavailable and has not even spoke of a refund yet.  

I have been able to negotiate some benefits off my bill with T-Mobile and CenturyLink and also Ahrefs.com. They gave us a free month.

So there are some benefits to this. Thankfully our sales actually have not dropped, although, we might expect a decline in the coming months. Thankfully, our sales are actually up a little bit, and we've also made a commitment here, about how Handshaking pledged no layoffs for a three month period.

Anyway, I hope everyone is staying home and staying safe. I also hope that they loosen up the lockdown everywhere around the world because I think that people are smart and have learned from this, and we wouldn't go outside shaking hands with strangers right away.

That we would go outside with a newer mindset and with our face masks, avoiding physical contact and adhering to social distancing. I mean, it's possible to go do a lot of these things safely. More restaurants possibly could be open. Barbershops, I don't know how your social distance with a barbershop, but a lot of us need haircuts.

Let's see, restaurants and bars and nightclubs on the inside that might be a little dangerous, but there's definitely safe ways to do it so that we can stop kicking the economy's butt everywhere around the world.

So that's all for now. This is a very serious pandemic that's affected many of us and our friends and or family.

I'm sorry to everyone who's experienced a loss to this. But there's definitely a point where the economy is going to cause greater losses to us as we continue this quarantine and lockdown. What do you guys think? When should we end the quarantine? And if we loosen up the quarantine, what does that look like?

My next post, I'm thinking I'll write about surprising gratitudes I've learned in 2020.  What do you think I should write about? Tell me here.

Also, check out this music video about handshaking that was my project for April 2020 quarantine.  I'd love your feedback right in the comments!
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