MANILA – The Joint Task Force Covid Shield (JTF CV Shield) on Wednesday called on the public and law enforcers to stay vigilant and comply with health and safety protocols, despite experiencing “quarantine burnout” with quarantine rules in effect for almost three months already.
JTF CV Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, made the appeal as he defined quarantine burnout or fatigue as decreased sensitivity to repeated warnings of authorities.
“The tendency is to ignore, become negligent, or revert back to their normal lives again, especially if nothing happened to them or their friends and relatives — at the expense of sacrificing the health safety protocols that must be observed to protect themselves from (coronavirus disease 2019),” Eleazar said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) when asked to expound further on this occurrence.
For instance, he said, some people tend to gather around and engage in drinking sessions while others leave their homes without wearing face masks.
“There is still no report about this on the part of law enforcers but this is something that we need to address this early, especially that it is the policemen and soldiers who are primarily in charge of the enforcement of the health safety protocols,” Eleazar said.
While most people are conscious of the Covid-19 threat, he said some only follow safety protocols if there are law enforcers around.
“What we want to prevent on the side of law enforcement is the possibility that some of our people on the ground may become lax in enforcing safety protocols. We have to remain healthy and safety-conscious anytime and anywhere as part of the new normal,” Eleazar said.
The JTF CV Shield is composed of members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and Bureau of Fire Protection.
Eleazar said measures are being undertaken to ensure that those manning the checkpoints and conducting regular beat patrols are always alert and follow their rotation of duty.“The discipline that policemen, soldiers, Coast Guard sailors, and BFP personnel during their training programs, as well as their physical fitness programs, is a big help in withstanding the quarantine burnout,” he added. (With reports from Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)