Pandemia ka lang, I am Filipino

A GLOBAL AWARENESS FOR EVERYONE

BY: Adrian Gerard Tolentino

12 – Kepler

COVID PANDEMIC THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF ANTHROPOLOGY

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global human population with a one-two punch like perhaps no other entity ever has, at least with regard to the scale and scope that March 2020 patterns and projections portend. Although this disease has not rendered humans powerless, it certainly seems to have shifted the balance of power. The “Coronacene” might well be as worthy of attention as the “Anthropocene.”

No one can predict the future in the face of today’s thorough uncertainty. But anthropologists are well placed to wonder about possible future directions: Will populism fade as the need for strong governmental infrastructure becomes more evident? Will scientific evidence and expert knowledge return to a place of authority in some countries where it has been denigrated? Will nationalist xenophobia lose its appeal in the face of a virus that respects no borders and demands a global response? Will the fissures in populations revealing different and worse consequences from the epidemic along lines of ethnicity, gender, racialization or age compel countries to address the deep causes of such inequities? Or will voices newly expressing a version of social Darwinism win the day?

COVID PANDEMIC THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIOLOGY

During the early part of 2020 (January 2020), there has been an abundance of critically important research on Covid-19 from medical, epidemiological and virological disciplines. There is now an urgent need for sociologists to engage theoretically and empirically on the social impact of issues related to Covid-19. As we have moved further into 2020, governments around the world, including The Philippines have imposed different types of restrictions on social life, in order to eliminate the spread of Covid-19 and ‘flatten the curve’. These have included imposing various degrees of social isolation or 14 day rule quarantine and restrictions on things like social gatherings, travel, sport and leisure activities (malls, parks,worships and others) and going to work/school/university. This commentary explores the ways in which different branches of social theory can shed light on the implications of Covid-19 restrictions for social life ‘as we know it’.

COVID PANDEMIC THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

In that spirit, we offer a political science perspective on events and debates surrounding the pandemic and potential considerations for moving forward as Canada ponders an end to confinement and scenarios for recovery. The novel coronavirus originated in China, and that country’s handling of COVID-19 has been the subject of significant debate. The Chinese government began by silencing whistleblowers in the early days of the epidemic and then took drastic measures to control the spread of the virus. China has now reinvented itself as a a international champion battling the COVID-19 Pandemic through generous public and private transfers of personal protection equipment abroad.

China deceived and used coercive measures initially to control information and distort COVID-19 statistics, on which we relied for modelling other countries’ pandemic trajectories. With questions raised about its handling of the virus, China also tried to demonstrate international leadership and benevolence to compensate. This is the contradictory universe of authoritarianism, where the projection of power and influence at home and abroad is built on image. Authoritarian states have always relied on their image as an essential part of how they govern and legitimate themselves. At home, image management is not just about the dictator masquerading as the enlightened despot, it is also often a reminder of what the state stands for and expects from its citizens.

WAYS ON HOW TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

WASH YOUR HANDS EVERY 30 MINUTES

MAINTAIN OR PRACTICE AT LEAST 1 METER SOCIAL DISTANCING TO AVOID THE PASSING OF VIRUS FROM ONE ANOTHER

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR FACE MASK AND FACE SHIELD

MORE ABOUT THE COVID PANDEMIC UPDATES

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19#:~:text=symptoms

REFERENCES:

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/

https://www.fast-trackcities.org/cities/quezon-city-covid

ABOUT ME

Good Day Everyone!

I am Adrian Gerard Tolentino a 19 year old and also the president of the Samahan ng mga Kabataan, an organization in QueSci. This blog aims to promote awareness about this COVID-19 Pandemic.

Happy Reading!!!