The Enhanced Community Quarantine has been extended twice now. When it was announced, it was supposed to end on April 12, then it was extended to April 30. Now it has been extended again until May 15. This is necessary to slow down the spread of Covid-19 and keep people safe. However, it has also put everyone's lives on hold.
One of the biggest things that my family is missing is my nephew's graduation, which was supposed to be scheduled in early April. I don't know if his school will arrange a special ceremony later in the year, even if it is after-the-fact, just so that his graduating batch can still have a memorable moment together.
I was also supposed to watch the Alanis Morrissette concert that was scheduled last April 6. Ticket-buyers were advised that they could get refunds or they could hang on to their tickets since the concert is still planned to happen in the future. It took some effort to get that ticket so I decided to hang on to it.
My family and I were also supposed to take a trip abroad during the school break, something we had been talking about for a while now. Obviously, that isn't happening anymore. Thankfully, I hadn't booked any flights or accommodations yet.
My work friends and I were also planning a trip to Cebu to celebrate close to two decades of friendship. The cancellation of this trip proved to be quite difficult since we had booked the flights and the hotel already. Thankfully, Cebu Pacific adopted a very customer-oriented approach. Even if I purchased a non-refundable flight, they allowed me to either get a refund or convert it to a travel fund. I decided to convert it to a travel fund since I am dead set on taking a local trip once I feel that it is safe enough to do so.
The bigger challenge has been with booking.com. I booked our hotel using the Booking Basic Reservation, which means the reservation is coursed through a third party provider. As a result, booking.com can’t contact the property directly regarding my reservation. Their first response to me was not very positive, saying that the "Booking.Basic rates are restrictive and are particularly branded as a basic rate that states save more with just the basics and clearly states in the confirmation that changes are not possible." However, the hotel we were supposed to stay in is closed indefinitely so even if I go there, I won't be able to to stay. The cancellation of my trip is not due to a change in my decision but rather a closure of the property I booked so logically, I should be refunded. They did send a more positive reply but I need to wait to see what the final response will be. It's a pretty heft amount so I am hoping they give me a refund or that they give me credit that I can use for a future booking.
Despite this. I'm still much luckier than others. As I said in my previous post, I don't need to worry about earning money or running out of it during the quarantine. I've been telling my friends that I don't take for granted the fact that I am able to get things that I need and even some things that I want, such as cakes and ice cream. I haven't seen my family in more than a month but I am able to communicate with them and send them money when they need it. I also know they are safe. Thankfully, my internet has also been very cooperative.
The Luzon-wide quarantine is now supposed to end on May 15 but we don't know if it will be extended again. Cases are growing by about 200 a day (at its peak, we had about 600 new cases a day). Even if it gets lifted by mid-May, I am pretty sure there will still be a lot of safeguards in place, like possibly a curfew (similar to what was established in early June). I continue to hope and pray that we can find a cure and a vaccine soon.
One of the biggest things that my family is missing is my nephew's graduation, which was supposed to be scheduled in early April. I don't know if his school will arrange a special ceremony later in the year, even if it is after-the-fact, just so that his graduating batch can still have a memorable moment together.
I was also supposed to watch the Alanis Morrissette concert that was scheduled last April 6. Ticket-buyers were advised that they could get refunds or they could hang on to their tickets since the concert is still planned to happen in the future. It took some effort to get that ticket so I decided to hang on to it.
My family and I were also supposed to take a trip abroad during the school break, something we had been talking about for a while now. Obviously, that isn't happening anymore. Thankfully, I hadn't booked any flights or accommodations yet.
My work friends and I were also planning a trip to Cebu to celebrate close to two decades of friendship. The cancellation of this trip proved to be quite difficult since we had booked the flights and the hotel already. Thankfully, Cebu Pacific adopted a very customer-oriented approach. Even if I purchased a non-refundable flight, they allowed me to either get a refund or convert it to a travel fund. I decided to convert it to a travel fund since I am dead set on taking a local trip once I feel that it is safe enough to do so.
The bigger challenge has been with booking.com. I booked our hotel using the Booking Basic Reservation, which means the reservation is coursed through a third party provider. As a result, booking.com can’t contact the property directly regarding my reservation. Their first response to me was not very positive, saying that the "Booking.Basic rates are restrictive and are particularly branded as a basic rate that states save more with just the basics and clearly states in the confirmation that changes are not possible." However, the hotel we were supposed to stay in is closed indefinitely so even if I go there, I won't be able to to stay. The cancellation of my trip is not due to a change in my decision but rather a closure of the property I booked so logically, I should be refunded. They did send a more positive reply but I need to wait to see what the final response will be. It's a pretty heft amount so I am hoping they give me a refund or that they give me credit that I can use for a future booking.
Despite this. I'm still much luckier than others. As I said in my previous post, I don't need to worry about earning money or running out of it during the quarantine. I've been telling my friends that I don't take for granted the fact that I am able to get things that I need and even some things that I want, such as cakes and ice cream. I haven't seen my family in more than a month but I am able to communicate with them and send them money when they need it. I also know they are safe. Thankfully, my internet has also been very cooperative.
The Luzon-wide quarantine is now supposed to end on May 15 but we don't know if it will be extended again. Cases are growing by about 200 a day (at its peak, we had about 600 new cases a day). Even if it gets lifted by mid-May, I am pretty sure there will still be a lot of safeguards in place, like possibly a curfew (similar to what was established in early June). I continue to hope and pray that we can find a cure and a vaccine soon.
