The term full capacity is constantly in news reports lately. Hospitals first reported that they are in full capacity with Bacolod City Administrator Em Ang saying late last week that, based on their hospital monitoring, utilization is already at 97-98 percent.

Countries in Europe and in North America are gearing up as the “second wave” of the pandemic are already at their doorsteps.

The COVID pandemic has become a class struggle and you don’t have to look farther than our streets where private vehicles are free to roam around while public transport are at a standstill.

The issue on whether social distancing is necessary or not has divided the National Inter Agency Task Force. For once, Health Sec. Francisco Duque stood pat saying decreasing the distance among commuters will increase death rate at 686 per day or 3,951 per year.

The weekend brought a lot of good news, thank God. Our cousin, Nonoy, was finally discharged after battling COVID-19 for 10 days. Carla Gomez is still in the hospital with pneumonia but her third confirmatory RT-PCR test came out negative and that’s a relief.

A news report yesterday from Digicast Negros quoted Bacolod Councilor Renecito Novero that some of those who tested positive during the recent mass testing are now missing in action.

We have yet to see the effects of the reinstated use of Home Quarantine Passes (HQP) but overnight and with only half of pass-holders able to use it, we found ourselves on lockdown anew and asking whether those HQPs will still be of use or not.

Local chief executives in Western Visayas are starting to raise their objection against the policies issued by the National Inter Agency Task Force (NIATF) that counter local protocols that have worked for them.

The Laton-Laton festival meme has been doing the rounds of social media for months now. I ignored it then because not only is it insulting but it also contributes to the demoralization of our city officials, some of whom, have obviously been hard at work since the start of this pandemic.

Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon issued a circular yesterday urging the faithful to go through a 40-day process of “making sense in faith of the whole COVID 19 experience.” 40 speaks of “graced time” to allow us to reflect, repent, and be renewed.