Making the most of the 'quarantimes'

Making the most of the ‘quarantimes’

SunStar Davao, March 21, 2020

Exactly a month ago, news about COVID-19 Patient 1 in the Lombardy Region of Northern Italy started to come out. That same night, more cases were reported one after the other.

“The school told us through their website that it was up to us if we will still let our children report to school. We decided to keep them at home," recalls Pinky Barcelona-Ruggiero, a former top model from the Philippines who is now based in Italy with her husband Fabrizio and kids Vincent, Andrea, and Isabella.

Fortunately, the majority of the parents did the same thing.

A few days later, Northern Italy was put on lockdown then eventually, as the cases became alarmingly high, a nationwide lockdown.

Because their 80-year-old matriarch Angela lives with them, the Ruggiero family strictly followed the quarantine rules to protect her.

According to Pinky, supermarkets and pharmacies remain open but only one member of the family can leave the house to buy food.

Those who go out for other reasons, like work, have to fill out a form to show to the authorities.

People who break the quarantine rules must pay the fine or go to jail for up to three months, depending on the violations.

Staying home

Pinky laments that Italy could have prevented this catastrophe if everyone listened and stayed home right from the start and did the quarantine properly. 

She observed that the Italians are very sociable and proud. They do not like to be told what to do. So, instead of staying home, they kept going out especially the young ones.

"Those in their 20s were even interviewed and they said there was no reason for them to give up on their nightlife. They thought they were immune, so they got infected," Pinky recounts.

"Sadly, they also infected the more vulnerable members of their families, their parents, and grandparents. That’s why the outbreak worsened. It’s really important to stay home these days to contain the virus,” she stresses.

Meanwhile, Mayen Sarenas, a learning specialist at the Hong Kong International School started to stay home more with her kids Ella and Jack even if there was no directive to quarantine yet in late January.

“We have not been to school since then. So, this is our 7th week of official online home learning,” says the Dabawenya.

To ensure optimal learning and teaching, Mayen set up a designated space in their home for schoolwork. She also made a general and flexible routine for schoolwork, chores, free play, indoor/outdoor play. 

In addition, she kept a journal of long-term project ideas (e.g., painting, fixing, organizing closets, sorting clothes and books) and decide which ones to tackle during each week.

"We are trying our best to keep bedtime at around 6:45-7:00 p.m. during weekdays, as was the case when school was in session. Even before the quarantine, we have been drinking green juice, but we have upped our intake of Vitamin C as well," details Mayen.

This quarantine taught their household a sense of social responsibility to keep their family and the families around them safe and healthy. They pray a lot, too.

Davao ‘quarantimes’

As a measure to prevent the spread of the dreaded 2019 novel coronavirus, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also placed the city on community quarantine.

During this crucial time, mompreneur Vanessa Uy-Santos made a policy that only one person can go outside the house to do all the errands to limit exposure. 

Her household uses a footbath to sanitize all the shoes and slippers. She likewise emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet and proper hygiene.

Vanessa does all the office work at home and constantly monitors all their employees and stores.

As for the kids, they still study and do their activity sheets daily. Sometimes, they would help her bake and cook. They do sports in the afternoon as well.

"We get to spend mealtime together and binge-watch Netflix as a family which we don’t normally do because of work,” she shares.

On the other hand, nothing much has changed with the routine of husband and wife Jae and Julia Sta. Romana who have always worked from home. 

Their daughter Bianca just finished school and needed to be kept occupied for the duration.

"For this, we have listed down tasks for her to complete, to “buy” gadget time. This keeps her, me, and Julia productive,” reveals Jae.

To keep themselves healthy and limit their possible virus exposure, the Sta. Romanas only go out if necessary. Bicycle and walking are their primary forms of travel. This keeps them distanced from other people.

They likewise have cut back on eating meat and processed food and clean the house more often.

In general, they appreciate that this quarantine has made people much more aware of sanitation and health.

Slowing down

Wanting to still have a semblance of normalcy in their kids’ routine, businesswoman Keryl Lee-Tan implemented a daily schedule for them. 

Her daughters help their kasambahays with their chores which they normally could not do during school days. They also practice their piano or violin after schoolwork.

Sunny afternoons are spent in their backyard: biking, running around with the dog, playing hide and seek, water play and the like.

During this community quarantine, Keryl says it has been a pleasure seeing how both her kids have different ways of dealing with homeschool work as the official summer break has not started yet. 

"The quality time spent with the whole family without the daily grind of going places and rushing to appointments has been quite an eye-opener. It made me realize that life is actually better spent slower,” she happily reflects.

These families may have lost time for work but, in the end, the unlimited cuddles, leisurely meals, and endless bonding with loved ones are the little things that count the most!

E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. To view more photos, please visit http://momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com/.