Page 2 - FS Primer 2020

INTRODUCTION

Much has been written about the widespread impact of COVID-19.
Statistics indicate that it has not discriminated between highly

industrialized countries and developing, third world nations. The
pandemic continues to exact an alarming toll on the human

population across the globe with corresponding economic costs
as well. It has prompted countries to devise ways of flattening the
curve, such as imposing travel and border restrictions, mass

testing, and lockdowns. Because of its widespread and devastating
effects, it has compelled nations to prioritize the discovery and

development of a much-needed vaccine.

The Philippines has not been spared from the havoc caused by

Covid-19. To curb the rise in COVID cases, the government placed
the entire island of Luzon under an “Enhanced Community

Quarantine” on March 16, 2020. While the subsequent days have
seen a relaxing of the quarantine measures from Enhanced
Community Quarantine (ECQ) to Modified Enhanced Community

Quarantine (MECQ) and to Modified General Community
Quarantine (MGCQ), the gravity of the effects of COVID-19 on the

country’s human resources and various sectors continues to
intensify, with the different sectors devising ways to adjust and
cope with the new normal.

One such sector that has demonstrated resilience amidst the

pandemic is the field of education. This resilience is rooted in the
need to ensure the continuous learning of the students because of
the stabilizing effects of education and the sense of normalcy that

it brings to learners.

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