The new coronavirus has been in fullswing since January 2020, especially March. As of 2023, you can now go to studyabroad in Cebu as before!
This time, I will tell you about thecorona misfortune and the current travel situation.
There are also interesting policies andinteresting news unique to the Philippines.
Studying abroad in Cebu during the coronacrisis ~The flow so far~
The corona epidemic began in Cebu Islanda little later than in Japan, in March 2020. In February, I was able to preventcorona by driving back a group of tourists from Wuhan, China at the airport.
It was not possible to completely preventit, and the number of infected people increased little by little, and alockdown suddenly started in late March. It is not a self-restraint like Japan,but a curfew. Most businesses, except supermarkets and convenience stores, haveclosed, leaving people unable to do anything other than buy daily necessities.
Language schools were also closed, andmost international students withdrew and returned to their home countries. Somereturnees were confined to Cebu Island because they were unable to buy airtickets to Japan because the decision was made so suddenly. It would be aproblem if I was told that all flights would be canceled from tomorrow.
After that, those who wished to return toJapan returned to Japan using a special flight with the cooperation of the CebuJapanese Association.
There is also a rule that you are notallowed to go out at night from 21:00 to 5:00, and that masks are mandatory atall times. The sale of alcohol was also banned because people would gather andtalk loudly when they drank alcohol.
Now you can buy alcohol, but the rule isthat you can't drink it in public places. Also, people under 20 and over 60 areunder a 24-hour curfew, which continues to this day. I think the rule is basedon the idea that Filipino children and the elderly usually live with theirfamilies, but there are many Japanese people over the age of 60 who live alone.
How do you live without being able toshop?
There are many children in a place oneblock away from the main street, and some people are not wearing masks. Thenumber of infected people has not been suppressed because of half-hearted rulesand crackdowns. Even so, most people did not go out, so the lockdown began totake effect and the number of infected people calmed down.
Since June, the restrictions have beeneased and it is now possible to go out, but as a result, the number of infectedpeople has increased again, and there is another lockdown. I thought that if Iwent out, the number of infected people would increase, and if I didn't go out,the number would decrease.
Status after August 2020
The number of infected people continuedto increase, but in August, the government announced that there was no money tosupport it even if they banned going out and business. As a result, restaurantsand other facilities have reopened, prioritizing economic activity. I feel likeI've already given up on increasing the number of infected people.
Non-essential businesses such as shoppingmalls, gyms and beauty salons have also been allowed to reopen.
Tourist spots have reopened, but schoolsare still open.
As far as individuals are concerned, thesituation hasn't changed much, as you still can't go out without a permit to goout. And there is also a big problem with this exit permit. As a system, apermit with the name of the head of the household written on it is distributedto each family, and anyone other than that is not allowed to go out. I didn'treceive this, and for some reason I was given two in the name of my apartment.Since these two cards are shared by about 100 people in the same apartment, Icould hardly use them and only went to the supermarket twice a month.
Also, many people went out without apermit to go out. There are people who come to the supermarket with theirfamilies, even though there should be only one in the family in the firstplace. Most people should be staying at home and keeping the curfew, but I wasfeeling depressed when I thought that the lockdown would continue foreverbecause of some people.
In the past, there was a mysterious rulethat if found, they would be transported to the plaza, where men would beforced to work out and women would be forced to clean. I don't think doing thatwill solve the problem, but that's the bad thing about the Philippines. Fromaround mid-August, it became more severe with fines or 30-day detention.
Also, from around mid-August, I needed aface shield. It is obligatory on public transportation, and there are placeswhere you can't enter without it depending on the building. It seems that itwas essential when going out in Manila.
So that I can go to study abroad in Cebu,Philippines! ~Latest information~
As of January 25, 2023, restrictions havebeen relaxed considerably, and you can now enter the Philippines if you meetthe following conditions!
・Passport valid for more than 6 months
・Have a ticket to leave the Philippineswithin 30 days
You can now travel without vaccination,but if you have not been vaccinated or have had only one dose, you must have anegative antigen test result taken within 24 hours.
If you have been vaccinated twice ormore, you will need to bring a certificate of vaccination, but I'm glad thatyou don't have to take an antigen test! (If you have a My Number card, you canimmediately issue and download the English version of the vaccinationcertificate from the app.)
Also, remember that you will need topre-register for "eTravel" online before traveling.
Current vaccination status in thePhilippines
We plan to provide lessons in a safe andsecure environment with all instructors vaccinated.
Three Japanese staff members (vaccinated)who have been enrolled before the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection arestill at the school, so if you have any concerns, please feel free to contactus anytime ^ ^
In fact, many people are paying attentionto "online study abroad" now?
Some people may not be able to go abroadto study right now, partly because the coronavirus is not completely contained.However, there are many people who want to study English.
Therefore, we recommend "OnlineStudy Abroad Class Live", which allows you to obtain the same learningeffect as studying abroad without going abroad.
In addition to one-on-one classes, 30 to40% of all global students outside of Japan are enrolled in class live, so youcan take group classes in a multinational environment. There are no groupclasses for regular online English conversation, so unlike studying abroad, youcannot increase your motivation by knowing the English skills of those aroundyou, or communicate with other students using the English you have actuallylearned.
You can take classes for as little as oneweek, and the fees are very reasonable.
Everyone can take one-on-one and onegroup class as a trial lesson. It's free, so if you're interested, give it atry. One way to improve your basic English skills by studying online instead ofstudying in the Philippines now is to prepare for studying abroad in Europe andthe United States and improving your TOEIC score before job hunting.
Corona Vortex Cebu Island Situation Summary
Two years have passed since I couldn'tstudy abroad in the Philippines, and in 2022, the language school has finallyresumed. You can now travel as much as before COVID-19, so please take on thechallenge of studying abroad at GLC's new campus!
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