Update on our coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines

Last Updated on October 28, 2024 by Ellen

The news came this morning: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended the lockdown in metro Manila and other high risk areas through May 15. Aklan Province, where we are, is one of those high risk areas.

However, our province is subject to re-evaluation, so it is possible it will be lowered to medium risk sometime before May 15. But I’m not counting on it.

Update on our coronavirus lockdown

We are under what’s called a “Enhanced Community Quarantine” in our high risk area. That means only one person per household is allowed to get supplies with an official pass. Tedly has the pass with his name on it. His mom Diane and I are not allowed to leave the immediate area, except for the beach or the garden up the road.

There are only a handful of cases in this area, and we wonder if the high risk designation is because of Boracay Island – one of the most touristed spots in the Philippines. It is part of Aklan Province, and I can understand officials wanting to protect the area from mass infection. Sooner or later, they will want tourists to come back.

Medium risk areas will be under what’s called “General Community Quarantine.” In those areas, anyone is allowed out of their homes and neighborhoods — as long as it’s to get supplies. No lollygagging or sightseeing. Some of our former stops in the Philippines are in this category, like Negros Oriental.

Low risk areas are not necessarily on “lockdown”, but people still need to use caution — masks and social distancing are required.

Additionally, anyone over 60 or under 21 is encouraged to stay home. I have not yet been unable to find out if that’s a rule or a suggestion. This will be important to know for Mom Diane once restrictions are lifted.

So, for the next three weeks, it’s likely Tedly’s mom Diane and I won’t be leaving our designated area around the Hangout Beach Resort, which thankfully includes the nearby beach and owner’s garden.

Blog news

Another update on our coronavirus lockdown: this website. The blog costs us nearly nothing, because I do everything myself. A few dollars for hosting and that’s it – every I use is a free version.

For weeks, even months, I’ve been troubleshooting how the Google ads appear. With a relatively recent update, the ads block content on desktops and some tablets.

Our content on smart phones is fine, and tablets work if you turn the device long way. About 70 to 80 percent of our traffic comes from phones, and I made the decision awhile back to put priority on phone delivery with ‘AMP’, to speed up load times.

It can be extra frustrating work because the WiFi signal is not super fast in our corner of the world here. I work on it until I get aggravated, and then I move on.

Thank you to our readers who have emailed me about this problem, and yet still continue to read our updates during our coronavirus lockdown.

Life news

How’m I doing? Eh. Ok. Like everyone else, I’m waiting to see what happens and trying not to let it affect my mood… too much.

I read alot. Sometimes swim. I would like to write more creative stuff, but I feel flat about it. I work on this website at times of the day the WiFi is a bit faster.

Like Tedly, I have housework chores. Today was laundry day. Towels.

Hand washing laundry is a reality in much of the world outside America. I first learned how back in Mexico five years ago. Anyone can do it – it just takes patience and it will tire out your hands and arms.

I have a friend who lives in a small Brooklyn apartment. The laundromats in her neighborhood are closed. She asked how to wash clothing and sheets and towels. With no bathtub or wash tub or utility sink. No laundry lines in the sun. Gave her some of my methods. Maybe I’ll do a future blog post on it.

I also swept up today. It’s been quite windy, and there’s dust and dirt and leaves and hair strands that fly around. This is another fact of life outside much of America — sweeping is a daily routine. Thankfully, our apartment has really nice tiles that are easy to clean.

There is a lot of gecko poop. Yep. Gecko POOP. But I don’t mind at all. Geckos are my friends. They eat mosquitoes.

Sometimes, geckos fall from walls and the ceiling. Don’t know why. It’s like they temporarily loose their stickiness or something.

Once, while closing a curtain, a gecko landed on my face. I didn’t even freak out. Another time, two of them dropped onto our Scrabble board. They look dazed a for a few seconds, and then they jet off.

Haven’t you heard? Social distancing is all the rage.

Miscellaneous

I also read today, went to the beach, watched kids with homemade toy sail boats. It’s difficult to see the boats – the teens are far out with low tide.

In fact, the tide was super low this evening. During those times, people dig for snails in the hour before sunset.

Tedly took the kayak out this afternoon. He planned to go ‘far’ and didn’t want me going without a lockdown pass. I’m sure he will soon tell you about his adventure…

Anyway, it looks like I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon, based on this latest lockdown news.

Thanks for reading, “Update on our coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines.”

You might also like:

• What a supply run is like during a pandemic in the Philippines
• Video tour of our apartment at the Hangout Beach Resort
• How to snorkel the easy, cheap way
• Southeast Asia cheap beer report
• Negros Oriental for the retired budget traveler

Ellen and Tedly post on alternate days during the coronavirus pandemic. Check back each day to see how the world travelers are surviving in paradise.