Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has asked government stakeholders and the private sector to prepare for the “next normal,” specifically to give the vaccinated population “greater mobility” by allowing them to travel without quarantine restrictions and RT-PCR requirements.
Concepcion, founder of Go Negosyo, wants a “vaccine pass” or for now, the COVID-19 vaccine card issued by local government units (LGUs) to their vaccinated population. The vaccine card is also the one being used by fully vaccinated senior citizens to enter establishments such as supermarkets, restaurants, and malls.
“We have to give the vaccinated population greater mobility as soon as we achieve the minimum of population protection. Doing so will go a long way in reviving some of our battered sectors such as the tourism and hospitality sectors and the food and beverage industry,” he said in a statement.
He believes that the Philippines will soon achieve population protection where 40 percent to 50 percent of Filipinos are vaccinated and that the Christmas season will be more festive this year.
READ: Gov't hoping for a 'maskless' Christmas in PH
The private sector has prepared a list of recommendations and proposals. Mainly, these include the issuance of the vaccination card and the exemption from getting an RT-PCR test for fully vaccinated Filipinos who want to travel domestically.
Concepcion also said that restaurants and other establishments “with the required health and safety protocols” should be allowed “to go beyond their imposed limits and accept more fully vaccinated guests.”
In high-risk areas like theaters, arenas, and bars, vaccinated individuals can stay indoors while the unvaccinated population must stay outdoors. This is similar to what is being done in the United States.
The private sector has been meeting with OCTA Research and Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Technical Advisory Group, “to align with our strategies and proposals by giving vaccinated people more mobility and access.”
The Philippines should start putting policies in place to move the country to the new normal as it inches closer “to achieving the minimum requirement of population protection where 40 percent to 50 percent of Filipinos are vaccinated,” Concepcion said.
He’s particular about lifting restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR) and eight major provinces that account for more than 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The latest figures showed that the country has fully vaccinated over two million individuals, which is equivalent to 1.8 percent of the 110 million population.
READ: Over 2 million people fully vaccinated vs COVID-19 in PH
Concepcion believes the proposals will also serve as “a form of incentive to get even more Filipinos vaccinated so that we can reach our higher target of herd immunity.”
“Greater mobility is one reward for getting to at least our minimum target of population protection,” he said.
He’s also suggesting that the Philippines reopens for tourists from other countries where at least half of the population had been vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as to those who have been fully vaccinated as long as they take an RT-PCR test upon arrival.
The Philippines currently has a 10-day quarantine policy where visitors will stay in a government-mandated quarantine facility for the first seven days. The next three days will be spent in the LGU of their destination.
Concepcion said the current quarantine policy has deterred many tourists from going to the country.
“These suggestions are proactive measures as we reach population protection and eventually, herd immunity. In reaching these critical points, a game plan with policies that have been thoroughly discussed and debated shall be ready,” he said.
The Go Negosyo founder, however, said that the government must proceed with caution in reopening the economy “and seek to find solutions that are acceptable and fair.”
“Population protection is a waypoint, a phase, on our way to herd immunity when we can already optimize the reopening of our economy. When we apply this, we can be more efficient in approaching this pandemic, safely ease into an economic recovery, and have a better chance of winning through it,” Concepcion stressed.