One of the hardships of lockdown life are Schrödinger’s stores. What do we mean? It’s the guessing game we’re forced to play in figuring out whether the groceries or pharmacies near us are open or not. Sometimes, they are open beyond 5 p.m. or closed 5 p.m. on the dot. It’s quite hard to gauge, especially if you’re depending on family-owned stores near you.

Good thing there’s a new website for our lockdown woes. With ‘Bukas Ba,’ we are able to monitor the opening hours of stores in our area. 

“Let’s help each other know which businesses are open within our local communities during the quarantine,” the website’s tagline goes. Bukas Ba? Algorithm acts like Google Maps. Upon opening the site, users can type in their location and it can gauge the stores open near them. 

Site visitors can help out as well. In their site, users can log in through Facebook and both check and jot down open establishments. You’re not only helping your community, but you’re also helping others and family-owned businesses make their lockdown lives easier.

Go to the website here.

Art by Rogin Losa