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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider No need to hoist Alert Level 4 over NCR; Concepcion explains why

No need to hoist Alert Level 4 over NCR; Concepcion explains why

Published Jan 8, 2022 04:24 pm

There’s no need to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under Alert Level 4 amid the new surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said on Saturday, Jan. 8.

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion (Photo from Go Negosyo Facebook page)


This was stressed by the Palace official as he clarified a newspaper report quoting him as saying that there was talk to place Metro Manila or NCR under Alert Level 4, which is the second most stringent classification under the Alert Level System (ALS) for COVID-19 response.

Concepcion explained that during the interview, he declared that he “checked with some of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) members and there is no move towards ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) at this point in time".

“When I was asked if there was about Alert Level 4, I said I asked Secretary Año and he said there is none,” said Concepcion.

Concepcion also mentioned that there’s no need to place the NCR under Alert Level 4 or ECQ because mobility of the people drastically drops after the Christmas season.

“The first quarter of the year is a weak and slow quarter since many have spent the money with Christmas gifts and New Year gatherings. This is the quarter where we see slow sales for most businesses,” he said.

“So even if they did not place it (NCR) in Alert Level 3, mobility will really drop and on top now of that surge, nobody will go out so there is no need to place it under Alert Level 4. People are generally scared to go out now because of the increase in cases and they have already spent their money during the holidays last month,” he explained.

ECQ in this case refers to a hard lockdown, which Concepcion says is something that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local government units (LGUs) cannot afford to have.

"We're borrowing trillions of pesos. Our debt-to-GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is growing. If we surpass 60 percent, then it's gonna hurt us big time. So we have to open the economy and leave it open but we should do it carefully," he noted,

Concepcion also lauded the move of NCR mayors to restrict the movement of unvaccinated individuals, saying it is a step in the right direction.

“If we protect the unvaccinated by limiting their movement, we can protect them from possible hospitalization until they get their vaccines. If we continue to maintain a low hospitalization rate in the country, our economy can continuously recover,” he underscored.

Related Tags

alert level 4 Christmas Go Negosyo Joey Concepcion NCR ALS New year Metro Manila covid-19 mobility surge DILG 10822
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