The Avoided and Unanswered Question: People Just Don’t Get It!

It is now almost two months into the lockdown here in the Philippines. And most people, especially those who make fateful decisions, just don’t get it. Here is what I mean.

On 12 May 2020, the national government announced moves to ease the lockdown in most parts of the Philippines. Iloilo Province, for example, went from a high-risk classification (Enhanced Community Quarantine or ECQ) to a low-risk classification. That would have meant that people in the province would have gone back to normality, almost.

Yet, shortly after the announcement, the governor of Iloilo, prodded by many mayors in the province, petitioned the national government to remove the province from the low-risk category and place it in a higher category of risk. As a result, the national government placed Iloilo Province in the moderate risk category and applied the modified General Community Quarantine (GCQ) protocols to the province. This decision will unnecessarily prolong the suffering of people who are experiencing lockdown fatigue and whose source of income have already been seriously disrupted by the lockdown.

In a report by the Facebook account of the provincial government, Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. was very happy with the decision of the national government. He is set to issue an Executive Order (EO) today, Friday, 15 May 2020. The EO will contain “the guidelines on the shift to a modified general community quarantine (GCQ) starting May 16, 2020”.

‘Our mayors want a gradual transition from ECQ to GCQ,’ Governor Defensor said.

“In a meeting with the governor on Wednesday, the mayors expressed apprehensions on the lifting of the community quarantine as coronavirus still poses a threat.”

Governor Defensor said: ‘We share the same perspective that the epidemiology of COVID-19 is not conclusive. We need to be sure of things. Second, like us, they want to protect our gains. We worked hard for this. So we should not relax because we do not want to experience what happened to those countries which relaxed their measures and suffered a second wave of the disease …’

By the way, the case of Iloilo is not unique. Other mayors and governors in other provinces also requested to be moved up to a higher category of risk despite having no real problems with the virus that causes COVID-19.

So now we come to the proverbial white elephant in the room that most people are avoiding. We now come to the one of the hottest questions in this pandemic that most people usually avoid. Therefore, the question remains unanswered especially by those who have the power to continue punishing their citizens with unnecessary further lockdowns.

Here is the avoided question. Every year, pneumonia kills over 57,000 Filipinos. And hundreds of thousands suffer from flu annually. So why are we not locking down the country every time there is a flu or pneumonia outbreak?

This kind of absurdity is not only true in the Philippines. It also applies to many other countries in the world.

The silence on this question from the decision-makers is especially anomalous given the lessons that we have all learned around the world from this pandemic. PLEASE, let us use our critical thinking and common sense.

• The Philippine growth rate of infections has dramatically declined [See Death Rate, Science, Lockdown, Fear, The “New Normal”Vaccines, Social Control And The Immune System].

• This is true for many parts of the world, as a study from an Israeli scientist has clearly shown [Read COVID-19 Growth Rates Declining Worldwide].

• This is happening despite the fact that it is well known that current tests reveal quite a number of “false positives”, thereby exaggerating infections. (See here How Accurate Are COVID-19 Tests?)

• The death rates around the world are not accurate. They are bloated. Most of the deaths are NOT FROM COVID-19, but WITH COVID-19. Italy is a prime example [See 99% Of Coronavirus Deaths In Italy Had Other Illnesses].

• There is also fraud involved in terms of the actual recording of COVID-19 deaths. Doctors have complained that they are being instructed to record deaths as COVID-19 deaths despite the fact that COVID-19 is not the primary cause of deaths [Read This Is How COVID-19 Death Rates In The US Are Manipulated]

• Antibody tests are showing that a lot more people have been infected by COVID-19 but are asymptomatic. (See here – Antibody Testing Shows Coronavirus Infected A Lot More People Than Previously Thought, and here – USC-LA County Antibody Suggests True COVID-19 Infections Higher Than Official Count)

• This means that the death rate for COVID-19 is near that of common flu (0.1%) and that the 6.5% + global death rate for COVID-19, as can be calculated from the Worldometer website, is super-exaggerated. It is exaggerated by 6,500%. (See here COVID-19 Pandemic: The Philippine Experience)

• The antibody tests as well as the large numbers of asymptomatic people are also showing that the immune system of most people are able to handle the virus quite well.

• And the fear of more deaths from a second wave of infections is not only unreal, given the above facts. Worst, continued lockdown will surely bring on a second wave of infections that politicians are fearing [See here Dr. Knut Wittkowski: A Second Wave Of Coronavirus Infections Will Come As A Direct Result Of Social Distancing And Self Isolation]

Given the above, one conclusion is unavoidable. The so-called pandemic is no longer there, if it ever was there. The virus may still be around but it is nothing to fear just like one does not fear getting a flu. The original figures, constantly drummed by the media, have created hyper-fear. And this fear has affected people’s judgment.

So would you destroy an economy and the social fabric of your town, province, or nation because of continued lockdown due to fear of a pandemic with a death rate close to flu?

If you would continue lockdowns, then you just don’t get it.