With the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases expected to drop to as low as 1,000 per day by mid-February, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said that it might be time for the country to focus on the economy.
Concepcion made the statement after independent research group OCTA Research said that deescalating the National Capital Region (NCR) to Alert Level 1 would help the region sustain the growth it realized in the last quarter of 2021.
In a statement, Concepcion said it was time to move from crisis mode to recovery mode.
"This is important if Filipinos are to help rebuild our country by engaging in economic activity like going to shops, dining out, traveling, or going back to work," he said.
"OCTA Research sees smooth sailing ahead for the next six months, so we should sail while the sun is shining. Let’s get enough momentum to push for growth in the first half of the year," he added.
OCTA Research head Prof. Ranjit Rye said it was now is the time to further open up the economy as science is proving that cases are going down. OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David is projecting new infections to drop to 1,000 to 2,000 per day by the end of February.
It will be recalled that it was upon the advice of OCTA that the private sector proposed the two-week lockdown in August 2021. The lockdown succeeded in heading off a surge and saved the crucial fourth-quarter economic activity.
From 26,238 in cases in September, infections dropped to triple-digit numbers in December, enabling the country to record a better-than-expected 7.7 growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter.
According to Concepcion, the private sector is ready to contribute to the task of rebuilding.
"I believe this partnership between the government and the private sector has served us well during the pandemic," he said.
In addition, Concepcion rationalized that it might also be time to put in place several measures for moving forward like calling "Alert Level 1" as the "new normal". Areas with high vaccination rates of 70 to 90 percent should qualify under this classification.
Instead of restrictions, he suggested imposing agreed-upon minimum public health and safety protocols. This will give the country an opportunity to see how well it does with only these protocols in place.
He added that vaccination cards should continue to be required at indoor business establishments as doing so can reduce the risk of exposing the unvaccinated, and encourage them to get vaccinated.
Concepcion said booster cards should eventually replace primary vaccination cards as the requirement for entry once the vaccination cards lapse. Expiry dates should be based on the government's guidelines on boosters.
In addition, he said the government should administer booster shots parallel with ongoing vaccinations, and on a staggered, first-jabbed, first-booster-ed basis to protect those with waning immunity.
He likewise reiterated his earlier call to start face-to-face classes by June, but only to fully vaccinated schoolchildren. This will have a multiplier effect on economic activity.
A return of employees to workplaces will also help boost economic activity in transport, food, and retail, he said.
According to Concepcion, he believes that changing the country’s framework from being in a constant state of fear to a state of readiness is important for the country’s transition.
"I think Filipinos want to move on. Nobody wants to stay in a pandemic mindset and live in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety," he said
We must make a clear transition from being afraid to hopeful," he added.
Meanwhile, Concepcion said that with hospital capacity at low risk and there is no new variant of concern, it would not be "too far-fetched to believe that the public health emergency status can be lifted, and with it the alert level systems."
"This would be a great way for the administration to finish its term," he said.
"Ending on a high note, with a protected population and a healthy economy is a legacy any sitting President would be happy to have," he added.