‘Don’t just thank frontliners; stay home!’

MANILA, Philippines — You know the drill: stay home.

Environmental health group EcoWaste Coalition on Monday joined calls for the public to just stay home so as not to add to the growing statistic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.

In this way, EcoWaste Coalition’s national coordinator Aileen Lucero said, health care providers which serve as frontliners in the treatment of the dreaded disease, may concentrate to the patients at hand.

“Taking the necessary steps to stay safe from the virus will surely help the healthcare system from further overburdening and straining itself,” said Lucero in a statement on Monday.

“We can show our grateful appreciation to all the COVID-19 frontliners by taking personal and collective steps that will prevent the further spread of the coronavirus and keep our families and communities safe from the disease,” she added.

Lucero noted that taking precautionary measures to protect ourselves and others from being exposed to the virus would help in controlling the number of people requiring extraordinary medical care

“This is the best way through which we can support and say ‘thank you’ to the heroes of the unfolding public health crisis, especially the doctors, nurses and other hospital workers,” she pointed out.

As of Monday afternoon, there are 396 cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 33 deaths.

The group also expressed gratitude towards workers managing the waste in healthcare facilities, ensuring that the infectious fraction of such waste is safely treated and disposed of.

EcoWaste specifically cited the 10 ways how the public can express thanks to those on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Stay home and follow the community quarantine rules;
• Clean your hands often, practice good respiratory hygiene and maintain safe distancing;
• Keep yourself safe from being ill, especially from ailments that will require hospital consultation and admission;
• Do not hoard essential medical and non-medical supplies;
• Be judicious in buying surgical masks and N95 respirators to prevent shortage;
• Discard used face masks properly;
• Practice ecological waste management at home and workplace;
• Use and store home disinfectants with utmost care; do not decant bleach into other containers to avoid chemical poisoning, especially among young children;
• Be vigilant against misinformation;
• Last but not the least, say a little prayer for the safety of the frontliners and their loved ones at home

Aside from health workers, the group also underscored the contributions of the following:

• Local government and barangay officials and workers implementing the quarantine guidelines;
• Law enforcers managing the health/checkpoints;
• Immigration officers supervising the air and seaports;
• Disinfectors, street cleaners, and garbage collectors;
• Farmers, fishers and truckers who keep the food supply flowing;
• Public and private employees and volunteers preparing, packing and distributing food packs;
• Suppliers, distributors, and deliverers of food, water, medicines, and other essential commodities;
• Workers at sari-sari stores, convenience stores, groceries, supermarkets, public markets, pharmacies, water refilling stations, gasoline stations, LPG stores, etc.;
• Employees of key public utilities and financial services;
• Members of the media who keep the public informed about the epidemic.

“We recognize and thank all frontliners for their indispensable services to our communities as we lean on each other to win our nation’s fight against the coronavirus. Thank you for risking your lives, for strengthening our faith, and for giving us light and hope in these troubled times. Together as one people, we shall overcome,” Lucero said.

The group then urged the Filipino public to manifest solidarity with one another “by performing voluntary acts of compassion and kindness, including supporting programs and projects benefiting the frontliners and others whose jobs and livelihoods have been disrupted by the pandemic, notably the poor, daily wage and informal workers.”

EDV