Baguio to sustain ‘hammer and dance’ tack vs. COVID-19
BAGUIO CITY – Baguio City will continue to ride the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tide by sustaining the “hammer and dance” tack.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said cases in the city are forecast to increase in the next days, reminiscent of its experience in September last year and as it was then, the city will address the new surge by adjusting and readjusting its control systems and measures.
“Gaya ng dati, tumataas ang cases pero napapababa natin tapos tataas uli at imamanage uli natin through our established systems,” he said.
“This is the way to manage COVID now as they have now ruled out the ‘wave’ (system of measurements.) Wala na yung first wave, second wave. What we have now is multiple surges — bababa, tataas. We just have to deal with it, change our strategy kapag tumaas. It’s still the hammer and dance concept,” the mayor said.
In September last year when the city started to transition to the new normal phase, the mayor announced employing the hammer and dance principle introduced by a certain Thomas Pueyo in dealing with the crisis.
“Hammer means we will apply the necessary restrictions when cases increase and dance, we will start opening up again when the surge lets up (in keeping with Pueyo’s ‘dance’ concept of striking a balance between curbing the spread of the disease and normalizing people’s lives.) This is going to be our cycle as we strive to live with the virus and adapt to the new normal way of life,” the mayor said then.
The mayor assured that logistics-wise, the city is not wanting with its funds intact and national government support steady in supplying its testing and personal protection equipment needs.
He said the city’s strategies, systems and measures are continually being adjusted to address the arising needs.
He thanked the residents for their cooperation even as he reiterated his appeal for continued adherence to the basic health and safety protocols particularly the mandatory wearing of face masks and shields, the observance of physical distancing, practice of personal hygiene and avoidance of the 3 Cs (crowding, close contact conversations and confined spaces. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
