It is almost back to the old normal but new ways of operating with only a minority of 6 percent of businesses have remained closed, according to the latest survey by the Department of Trade and Industry.

DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez reported that only 6 percent of companies have remained inoperational for the August-September period survey as the government allowed the gradual reopening of the economy. This was an improvement from the 11 percent in June-July survey.

At the height of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in April and May, Lopez reported a high of 38 percent of companies that temporarily shutdown operations and only 50 percent partially operating.

As the number of COVID-19 cases has started to flatten, the government expects all businesses could go back to operation at 100 percent capacity.

 “After six months of the pandemic and lockdown, I believe we learned how to move to manage the virus,” said Lopez. He also expressed confidence the economy can go to further easing of the community quarantine.

“As our situation improves, we hope to eventually allow the other age segments to go out and also move back curfew to the point of eliminating it altogether,” he said.

What is important, he said, it to have discipline to lower the transmission even under a modified general community quarantine to allow to open the economy further.

He said the Inter Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases will evaluate the data and based on it will decide if the National Capital Region can already go into MGCQ, a much-relaxed form of quarantine.

 “We just have to follow the ‘7 Commandments’ of the minimum health standards, as some doctors have termed them,” he said.

These include wear a face mask; wear a face shield; no talking while eating, especially while in public transportation; allow for more ventilation; keep physical distance; frequently disinfection; and no symptomatic, which is similar to isolating the positives.