IATF thumbs down business owners plea
Business

IATF thumbs down business owners plea

Oct 1, 2021, 12:12 PM
Rose De La Cruz

Rose De La Cruz

Writer/Columnist

Despite the clamor by businessmen for government to place Metro Manila under Alert Level 3 to allow them to recover financial losses from the pandemic, the inter-agency task force on managing emerging infectious diseases (IATF) said Alert Level 4 stays but with less restrictions.

DESPITE the clamor by businessmen for government to place Metro Manila under Alert Level 3 starting October (which begins today) to allow them to recover financial losses from the pandemic, the inter-agency task force on managing emerging infectious diseases (IATF) said Alert Level 4 stays but with less restrictions.

The IATF is easing restrictions by allowing 20 percent capacity to the following indoor services for fully vaccinated individuals such as dine-in services, in-person religious services, and personal care services.

Metro Manila, pilot area for a new quarantine classification system, will stay under Alert Level 4 from October 1 to 15, Malacanang said.

The National Capital Region was put on Alert Level 4 on September 16 but officials, citing lower daily increases in Covid-19 cases said a lower alert level in the capital was possible. The Department of Health has been cautious on the decrease in daily cases, saying testing had also decreased.

Business’ plea

Speaking for the business sector, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said representatives from the private sector made the appeal during a Monday meeting of the government task force against Covid-19, which included medical groups.

“What the private sector is asking is to place (Metro Manila) under Level 3 as we enter the fourth quarter,” Concepcion said, as business owners want to take advantage of higher consumer and election-related spending in the last quarter of the year.

On Monday, DOH epidemiology bureau director Alethea de Guzman said Metro Manila may remain under Alert Level 4 – the second highest alert level – in October despite the downward trend in Covid-19 infections due to lower testing output by laboratories.

Concepcion recommended to National Task Force against Covid-19 chief

implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to allow higher indoor capacity for vaccinated individuals.

He also reiterated that his proposed “bakuna (vaccine) bubble” is not discriminatory, as it aims to encourage more Filipinos to get vaccinated against the disease.

Shorter quarantine

Business group Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) is backing proposals to shorten the quarantine period of fully-vaccinated travelers from the current 10 days to five to help revive the tourism industry.

“More countries in the world are nowadays easing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers, such as the US which plans to ease foreign travel restrictions beginning in November.

Foreign nationals flying into the US will have to be fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19 within three days of their flight. Let us support proposals to grant fully vaccinated balikbayan visitors and international tourists the same convenience, by reducing arriving international passenger quarantine period to five days,” FFCCCII president Henry Lim Bon Liong said.

Philippine Airlines proposed that international flight passengers be tested 72 hours before departure, quarantined upon arrival and tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on the third day.

Endgame

The OCTA Research Group of the University of the Philippines is optimistic that the Delta-driven surge in Covid cases is nearing its “endgame” and the country can have a better Christmas this year.

“I share the optimism that we might be in for a good ending to the year, a good Christmas. We might be seeing the endgame for the Delta variant… not yet right now, but it’s already unfolding,” OCTA fellow Guido David said on ‘The Chiefs’ on One News on Monday night.

“(But) we need to have compliance with health protocols for this theory to work… We’re not there yet, but we’re going to get there probably by October. I think by November, we should really be okay.I’m banking on that unless there is a new variant,” he added.

David said the reproduction number in Metro Manila is at .94 as of Monday while the seven-day average further fell to 4,083 daily cases.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said establishments allowed to operate under the same alert level with Safety Seal Certification will also be allowed additional venue capacity of 10 percent beyond the prescribed venue or seating capacity.

"In the same meeting, the IATF also approved the reopening of fitness studios and gyms at a limited 20 percent capacity for fully vaccinated individuals, provided that all gym workers should also be fully vaccinated," Roque added.

"Both clients and service providers shall also wear face mask at all times and no group activities will be allowed."

Roque said daily new infections had gone down from a high of 20,000 per day. He also said that government needs to sustain efforts against Covid-19.“It shows that our strategy is working," Roque said.

Pilot vaccination for minors by October 15

Roque also confirmed that the proposed vaccination of minors ages 12 to 17 starting was approved by the task force.

"The pilot will begin on October 15, 2021 under a phased approach as may be determined by the National Vaccination Operations Center," Roque said.
"The IATF also affirms, upon the directives of President Duterte, the opening of the national vaccination program to the general population nationwide upon the determination of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 and its Vaccine Cluster."

Tags: #Covid19, #MetroManila, #InterAgencyTaskForce, #AlertLevel4, #quarantinelevels., #economicrecovery


We take a stand
OpinYon News logo

Designed and developed by Simmer Studios.

© 2024 OpinYon News. All rights reserved.