When expressions of faith in the Philippines becomes a potential COVID-19 'superspreader'.
TL;DR: The isolation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the Filipino Catholic faithful from expressing their faith but made it stronger as discussed by the authors, even in the midst of the most trying moments of their collective history their faith remains steadfast.
Abstract: The Filipino people are known for their strong religious faith. Even in the midst of the most trying moments of their collective history their faith remains steadfast. The isolation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the Filipino Catholic faithful from expressing their faith but made it stronger. Allowed by the government to attend Church celebrations, the Filipino Catholic devotee flocked in the Quiapo Church just to attend the feast of the Black Nazarene and had a chance to hold its image with a firm conviction that the grace of God could protect them from the pandemic. However, the local medical experts called their devotion, in this time of crisis, as a 'superspreader', a sign not of hope but of despair.
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TL;DR: It can be concluded that the MobileNetV2-based transfer learning model would be an alternative to the DCNN model for highly accurate face mask detection.
Abstract: The rapid spreading of Coronavirus disease
2019
(COVID-19) is a major health risk that the whole world is facing for the last two years. One of the main causes of the fast spreading of this virus is the direct contact of people with each other. There are many precautionary measures to reduce the spread of this virus; however, the major one is wearing face masks in public places. Detection of face masks in public places is a real challenge that needs to be addressed to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. To address these challenges, an automated system for face mask detection using deep learning (DL) algorithms has been proposed to control the spreading of this infectious disease effectively. This work applies deep convolution neural network (DCNN) and MobileNetV2-based transfer learning models for effectual face mask detection. We evaluated the performance of these two models on two separate datasets, i.e., our developed dataset by considering real-world scenarios having
2500
images (dataset-1) and the dataset taken from PyImage Search Reader Prajna Bhandary and some random sources (dataset-2). The experimental results demonstrated that MobileNetV2 achieved
98
%
and
99
%
accuracies on dataset-1 and dataset-2, respectively, whereas DCNN achieved
97
%
accuracy on both datasets. Based on our findings, it can be concluded that the MobileNetV2-based transfer learning model would be an alternative to the DCNN model for highly accurate face mask detection.
18 citations
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TL;DR: This article explored the impacts of a double disaster on the mental health of students and how they cope up with these emergencies, finding that the occurrence of natural disasters during the lockdowns from pandemic brought stress to students in adjusting to distance education, completing academic requirements, and accessing technology for online learning.
Abstract: Humanitarian emergencies pose a great challenge to how all sectors perform their functions in society. In several countries, these emergencies combined the pandemic and other man-made and natural disasters: "double disaster", which affected the health, safety, and well-being of both individuals and communities. Students are a particularly vulnerable population for mental health problems considering the challenges with their transitions to adulthood. Using narrative analysis, this study explored the impacts of a double disaster on the mental health of students and how they cope up with these emergencies. The results showed that the occurrence of natural disasters during the lockdowns from pandemic brought stress to students in adjusting to distance education, completing academic requirements, and accessing technology for online learning. Participants expressed their anxieties about the spread of the virus in the community, particularly in the disaster evacuation centers with less strictly observed social distancing, insufficient hygiene and sanitation facilities, and lack of basic needs. Participants described their learnings and coping strategies that included helping one another, following the government protocols, finding additional sources of income, using energy for important purposes only, and leaning on faith. The findings of this study would be instrumental in formulating policies and strategic measures that best complement the needs of community members during a double disaster, particularly in addressing the mental health impacts of humanitarian emergencies.
7 citations
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TL;DR: The COVID-19 pandemic does not deter the human person to exercise his fraternal instinct but gives him sufficient reason to employ it all the more, creating the social paradox of human presence as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Government across all nations had promulgated precautionary measures in controlling the wide spread of the disease. One that takes precedence is the practice of community quarantine where people are mandated to stay at home and avoid going outside if is not utterly necessary. This mandate caused a lot of catastrophic outcomes in the socio-economic condition and mental health of many. Many people are in psychological and existential despair for the loss of their jobs and the isolation that they are experiencing. However, in the midst of this undesirable condition, the natural tendency of the human person to socialize is still present. Done in the spirit of fraternal charity, an individual's way of socialization gives hope to those who are in despair. The COVID-19 pandemic does not deter the human person to exercise his fraternal instinct but gives him sufficient reason to employ it all the more, creating the social paradox of human presence.
6 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors considered the relationship between population religiosity and the coronavirus pandemic situation across different countries based on data from the World Values Survey, Worldometer, and International Monetary Fund covering information about internal and external religiosity, religious fundamentalism, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic situation at two time points in 47 countries.
Abstract: This article considers the relationships between population religiosity and the coronavirus pandemic situation across different countries. Country-level analyses were based on data from the World Values Survey, Worldometer, and International Monetary Fund covering information about internal (beliefs) and external (practices) religiosity, religious fundamentalism, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic situation at two time points in 47 countries. Results showed that declared attendance at religious services is related to more COVID-19 infections and deaths, as well as when controlling for gross domestic product per capita and the number of coronavirus tests per 1 million population. This effect remained in the longitudinal perspective (of six months) and extended from external religiosity only, to both internal and external religiosity indices.
6 citations
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors explore the key factors that may shape the future trends and plans for pilgrimage and religious tourism in the Greek Orthodox segment, focusing paradigmatically on the region of Central Macedonia in Greece, which is known for its religious and cultural heritage.
Abstract: The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have transformed the worldwide socio-economic environment in various and unpredicted ways. More specifically, the pandemic restrictions and the necessary social distancing have generated questions concerning the ‘day after’ of religious tourism, especially in association with the value attributed to proximity, sharing, and communal worship in the Orthodox Church tradition. For the time being, pilgrimages and religious tourism in the Greek Orthodox context are quite stable and resilient, and seem to be intertwined with cultural heritage, the modern search for authenticity, and the touristic experience. This analysis aims to explore the key factors that may shape the future trends and plans for pilgrimage and religious tourism in the Greek Orthodox segment. For this reason, it will focus paradigmatically on the region of Central Macedonia in Greece, which is known for its religious and cultural heritage. This is an area in Northern Greece, linked to the missionary journeys of Apostle Paul, and to iconic religious destinations, such as mount Athos and UNESCO World Heritage sites like the Byzantine monuments in Thessaloniki. The analysis will further examine the possibilities of developing new and multidimensional forms of tourism, focused on visits to religious sites.
3 citations
References
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TL;DR: This work reports some of the interventions made by the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines that have led to the social media hashtag, #ChurchInAction, and highlights the initiatives of the Philippines’ religious sector.
Abstract: In a recently published letter to the editor of this journal, the authors have called for the need to establish psychological support structures that cater to people's mental health in this time of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. To be more holistic, we extend this call to include people's spiritual well-being as well. We highlight the initiatives of the Philippines' religious sector. In particular, we report some of the interventions made by the Roman Catholic Church that have led to the social media hashtag, #ChurchInAction. These religious and spiritual interventions showcase the efforts of the Philippine Church and play an important role in providing assistance in time of public health crisis.
47 citations
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TL;DR: This work established a structured concept to support psychological burdened people in Essen, which is located in the Ruhr area, a metropolitan region with more than 5.1 million inhabitants in the heart of the federal state North Rhine Westphalia.
Abstract: The SARS CoV-2-virus (COVID-19) pandemic is pushing national and international structures to their limits. Little is known about treatment options to combat the novel virus, but the same applies to the effects of COVID-19 on people's mental health. In Germany, as in many other countries, governmental actions impact peoples' individual freedom. These highly necessary actions to slow down the spread of the virus, however, are a burden to the community. We established a structured concept to support psychological burdened people in Essen, which is located in the Ruhr area, a metropolitan region with more than 5.1 million inhabitants in the heart of the federal state North Rhine Westphalia. The psychological burden following the spread of the virus and individual restrictions should not be neglected.
44 citations
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TL;DR: The spread of the virus COVID-19 has caused many religious restrictions as mentioned in this paper, and as a result, the world faces unprecedented changes, theological, liturgical, and pastoral questions are arising.
Abstract: The spread of the virus COVID-19 has caused many religious restrictions. As the world faces unprecedented changes, theological, liturgical, and pastoral questions are arising. Sacraments and sacram...
12 citations