As far as the leader of a group of supermarket owners in the country is concerned, the recent reimposition of stricter community quarantine measures felt like both a "death sentence" and a "lifeline" to the retail industry.
The National Capital Region (NCR) and its four neighboring provinces, known collectively as NCR-plus, were placed under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)--the strictest lockdown protocol the government can impose--on March 29 in a bid to curb the alarming rate of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections.
It was lifted after two weeks, but was replaced by the slightly less strict protocols of a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
While an extended ECQ or MECQ posed serious threats to the retail business, industry players still recognized that it would later pave the way for them to get back on track.
"A tightrope act balancing social health and the economy. ECQ prioritizes the health issue to eventually bring the economy back on its feet. MECQ cuts the economy some slack hoping that people will practice the protocols continuously needed to get the economy running," Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association President Steven Cua told the Manila Bulletin as he reflected on the implementation of the restrictions.
"ECQ was a necessary death sentence to the retail industry. MECQ was a lifeline thrown to the industry as mobility allowed offline as well as online business to flow," Cua added.
He further said that maintaining business under either ECQ or MECQ was an individual and social sacrifice.
For Eric Teng, a restaurateur, the MECQ status "is definitely better than ECQ" because he had to close some of their stores that could not comply with the "alfresco dining only" policy of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) when the ECQ was still in effect.
"It was bad," Teng recalled. "But our goal was to help the public get through the pandemic as well. We are all responsible to help tame the pandemic." "At least we have some business activity . But of course it will be far from enough for our industry to break even. However, we are happy that due to ECQ, our daily new COVID cases have gone down," Teng added.
The NCR-plus covers Metro Manila (NCR), Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal. The area will be under MECQ until May 14.