Some Filipino online users reminisced and shared the last pictures that they took before becoming house-bound due to the community quarantine which was imposed over Metro Manila a year ago.
In a tweet early this month, user @NoOneDelaCruz invited other Filipinos to show their “last photos outside” before the strict orders to stay at home were implemented.
Her contributions were pictures that she had taken during her “Sunday jogging at the local university” last year.
We're approaching the anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown. -_- Show me your last photos outside before you went into the bunker. These were mine. Sunday jogging at the local university. pic.twitter.com/sDcCfw5omv
— unniemportant (@NoOneDelaCruz) March 1, 2021
She added in another tweet that the exercise would remind them of the things that are “waiting” for them once immunization “kicks in” care of the vaccines.
“But also snapshots of what we lost, for some of us. Where recovery is no longer possible, justice must be sought,” the online user added with a crying face emoji.
A Twitter user took on her exercise and shared a photo of a campsite in a Batangas beach resort.
— millenial hobo (@kapitanzenii) March 1, 2021
Another online user shared some pictures of his last “outdoor trips” saved in his phone before the “‘medical storm’ came in.”
Some of my last outdoor trips before the ‘medical storm’ came in pic.twitter.com/XjNIIEP7B5
— Carlo Matthew Molina (@matthew_carlo) March 1, 2021
Another Filipino shared some pictures of Tomas Morato and EDSA Kamuning at midnight before Metro Manila was placed under community quarantine on March 15, 2020.
Eksena sa Tomas Morato at EDSA Kamuning hating gabi bago ang unang araw ng lockdown sa buong Metro Manila.
Pauwi kami galing duty. Ghost town na talaga (Buti may nabiyahe pang taxi ng mga oras na 'to 😅) https://t.co/WL6EeXjNoI pic.twitter.com/yMLkfvpKyz
— REDGE 🧜🏻♀️🐚 (@reigningRONA) March 2, 2021
A different Twitter user shared how jampacked her February 2020 was upon looking at her saved pictures. It was the month before community quarantine phases were officially imposed.
All happened in Feb🥺
1. Helped organize an exhibit. The profit went to a chosen organization
2. Attended a wedding of a colleague
3. Went to Bulacan for my cousin’s birthday. I swam w/ Tata haha!
4. Mountain hiking in Tanay, Rizal w/ colleaguesI miss going out to have fun😢 https://t.co/vsLGPl69BZ pic.twitter.com/i4DHzDgahi
— ‧͙⁺˚*・༓ •᷄ɞ•᷅ t . h ā z ə l ♥ ༓・*˚⁺‧͙ (@EHEHazel) March 2, 2021
Another Twitter user shared of realizing how “lucky” she was since she was able to travel in the country pre-lockdown, an initiative that now comes with risks of being exposed to the virus.
I’m lucky I got to travel and hit the beach before the lockdown. https://t.co/OQ7U1YY8pk pic.twitter.com/K8KHlhxOAX
— Ann (@MissAnnCatalan) March 2, 2021
Another online user shared a picture of people doing their grocery shopping “the weekend right before quarantine” as they stock up on household essentials before lockdown.
We're approaching the anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown. Show me your last photo outside before you went into the bunker
this was like the weekend right before quarantine and i was stocking up on groceries 😬😬😬 https://t.co/mZVM0XhmIw pic.twitter.com/ZohSy8mrlX
— aillah (@thranduilien) March 1, 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte on March 15 last year placed Metro Manila under community quarantine in a bid to mitigate the transmission of the highly infectious virus in the populous region.
The municipality of Cainta in Rizal Province was similarly placed under such an initiative, as well as Bohol Province.
A day after, Duterte placed the entire island of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine or ECQ, the strictest of the quarantine phases, which is also known as hard lockdown.
People were obliged to stay at home except if they work in industries deemed essential sectors.
The ECQ took effect on March 17 and kicked off one of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fast forward to March 15, 2021 and the country has recorded its highest daily tally of COVID-19 cases so far this year, with a total of 5,404 new cases.
Localities in some parts of the metro have also been placed under granular lockdowns in a bid to curb the transmission of the virus, which now has different variants.
The capital region likewise saw a repeat of the metro-wide curfew which aims to reduce the mobility of people outside their homes.
READ: Curfew returns as NCR marks 1st community quarantine anniversary