Family, God and tech ‘save’ Pinoys in Australia Covid-19 Lockdown

 
By Evelyn A. Opilas
Sydney-Australia
May 22, 2020
 




Filipinos in Australia turned to family, prayer, and technology during the lockdown, if the recent survey by a local newspaper in Sydney is an indication.

They topped all the responses on how Filipinos coped during the government-imposed restrictions that took effect 23 March to stem the spread of Covid-19 within Australia.



Publisher Evelyn Zaragoza and editor Mars Cavestany drew on the community’s “respected and well-loved artist-leaders and thinkers too in their own right” for the collection.

Thirty-eight individuals replied to ‘Creativity in Captivity’ published in the Philippine Community Herald Newspaper’s April 2020 issue, with 36 respondents from New South Wales and one each from South Australia and Western Australia.

The state of their businesses, learning new skills, and self-care concerned some, while barely a handful acknowledged the efforts of frontliners or the Government’s handling of the dreaded pandemic.

Covid-19, a respiratory illness caused by a new form of coronavirus, has presented with symptoms including fever, coughing, a sore throat and shortness of breath, according to the Australian Department of Health.

The virus, first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City in China, could spread widely and quickly, the Department added.

The virus seemed to have spread in an unprecedented scale, affecting millions and causing deaths worldwide, Australia among the countries imposing lockdowns to contain the virus.



Measures such as self-isolation, frequent hand washing, and social-distancing have become de rigueur orders. “Essential” purpose was key for going out of one’s imposed ‘confinement’ – indefinitely. Sydney streets seemed eerily empty. With limited vehicles on the road, the air seemed refreshingly clean.

Attendance at community activities were on ‘pause’, one of the last being the Blacktown City Council-hosted breakfast to mark International Women’s Day.



The lockdown has resulted in panic-buying, emptying supermarket shelves of toilet paper, for some reason.



Churches, initially allowed to hold outdoor services for 500 people socially-distanced from each other, were closed, paving the way for technology to step in – the availability of live-streamed Masses and religious services or their replays on YouTube.

"The unprecedented circumstances caused by the spread of Covid-19 is forcing the Church to adapt, making use of digital technology to stream services and find new ways to respond to the spiritual needs of believers," said the online edition of The Tablet , a Catholic weekly journal published continually since 1840, that "reports on religion current affairs, politics, social issues, literature and the arts with a special emphasis on Roman Catholicism while remaining ecumenical...."

Website mass-online.org "created for the sick, home bound and for those who, due to other important reasons, could not go to Mass; or those who, due to their locations, do not have Churches to go to" live streamed daily Masses 24/7 adjusted to one’s time zone.

  "We hope that our website will help our sisters and brothers in faith to celebrate the Holy Mass live online wherever they are," said website host Fundacja Dowiedz się Więcej, a Polish foundation aimed at "free-of-charge knowledge sharing".



Here’s a summary of how the “respected and well-loved artist-leaders and thinkers too in their own right” in Sydney were ‘creatively coping’ with the lockdown, of which some restrictions have been eased in New South Wales 18 May. Most of the respondents provided multiple answers.

Being with family rated high among 18 of 38 responses, the highest at 47.3%.



God (prayer, worship, Divine Providence) and use of technology figured equally in 15 individuals – or 39.4% of the responses.

Nine – at 23.6% – showed concern for/effect on their businesses.

Six – or 15.7% – seemed to be taking time to help others, to learn new skills, and to reflect/find hope.

Self-care, fitness, reading seemed important to five individuals at 13.1%.



The Government’s response, gratitude to/well-being of frontliners, community work, and music drew the attention of four, or 10.5%, of those surveyed.



Covid-19’s effect on the environment (clear skies, less pollution, clean air) and domestic clean-up drew three responses at 7.89% as did watching TV and movies.

Two ‘travelled’ online – or 5.26% of the answers.

One admitted to having financial strain or to ‘doing nothing’ at 2.63%.

Effectively, these individuals reflect what seems to be important ‘coping’ mechanisms for most Filipinos in times of (modern-day) crises – family (time together with husband, wife, children, grandchildren), prayer (hope in God; let go, let God; count blessings), and technology (keeping abreast with each other through Facetime, Messenger, Viber, Facebook, etc.).