Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion is brimming with optimism following the Inter-Agency Task Force's (IATF) sudden but welcome decision to de-escalate the National Capital Region (NCR) to alert level 2 in connection with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“I am confident that we will succeed in learning to live with COVID,” Concepcion said in a statement, Friday, Nov. 5, the first day of the effectivity of NCR's alert level 2 classification.
“I am positive that not only will we have a merrier Christmas, but we can also look forward to a brighter 2022,” he added.
The Palace official thanked the IATF for lowering Metro Manila's alert level from alert level 3 to alert level 2--something that he and the business sector have called for since Oct. 17 in light of the huge drop in fresh daily COVID-19 cases and rising local vaccination rate.
NCR's intial alert level 2 status will last from Nov. 5 to 21. The new classification was announced Thursday night.
“I would like to thank the national government for considering our call. An alert level 2 for NCR will be a big boost for businesses,” Concepcion said.
Under alert level 2, indoor businesses are allowed a maximum of 50 percent capacity for fully vaccinated individuals. Outdoor capacity will be increased to 70 percent for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Since NCR has already exceeded the 84 percent vaccination target, businesses can add an additional 20 percent capacity, plus another 10 percent if they have a safety seal. This would bring the total possible indoor capacity to 80 percent.
Concepcion credited the decline in cases and the resulting easing of restrictions to the call last July for a lockdown during the first week of August. At that time, the Philippines was experiencing a rise in cases following the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
“We did what was right to save the fourth quarter,” said Concepcion, referring to the last three months of the year when consumer spending will be at its highest because of the holiday season, as well as the run-up to the 2022 elections.
The increased spending is expected to save many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have suffered massive losses because of the pandemic.
The call for a lockdown was initially met with opposition from some in the business community, but Concepcion believed it was a necessary sacrifice to secure the crucial fourth quarter economic activity.
“I would like to thank our NCR mayors and MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) Chairman Benhur Abalos for joining the private sector in asking the IATF to heed the call for an early lockdown. This is not normally done but we will have saved our MSMEs by doing so,” he said.
Concepcion believes that while the country will eventually move to alert level 1, it needs to address several issues to sustain the momentum.
“We need to be more vigilant. We need to ensure that the minimum safety protocols of face masks and social distancing are followed. More importantly, business establishments that are allowed to accept only vaccinated customers should make sure that they follow this guideline,” he said.
Concepcion also said that the country should use this window to roll out more vaccines to the provinces and help them fully vaccinate at least 70 percent of their population. “Vaccine hesitancy is high in the provinces, especially in the economically challenged sectors. We will need our mayors and barangay captains to push for greater vaccine acceptance,” he said.
“What is important is we are able to sustain this momentum. More mobility also comes with risk, but even if we do see a rise in infections, we have to remember that a fully vaccinated person has a low risk of being admitted in the hospital,” he said.