and Irma Isip
AS some areas move from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to general community quarantine (GCQ) tomorrow, economic managers warned against rushing the lifting of the lockdowns.
Government admits the impact of the reopening of businesses in areas where lockdowns are eased will be minimal.
Economic managers also said they have to assess where to get additional resources if support measures in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, will have to be implemented beyond May.
Karl Kendrick Chua, socioeconomic planning secretary, said government wants to avoid the possibility of having a second or third wave of the virus, over immediately easing restrictive quarantine measures.
“We don’t have to rush ourselves or be pressured to open up, we should focus on our entire well-being because if we rush, the spread of the virus might return and even be worse,” Chua said in Filipino in a virtual interview with DZMM yesterday.
Chua said the government is prepared to finance its social amelioration programs for two months.
“What we did in the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act is to prepare for two months of full ECQ. We are ready for the entire April and May, and what is good about this is we were able to address the problem,” Chua said.
“Many provinces will be shifting from ECQ to GCQ. Under the GCQ, (employees) can work except for those who are in non-essential sectors, such as those in tourism and leisure sectors, so the help (there) is not as urgently needed,” Chua said.
However, Chua said the government is ready to provide the necessary help or support if needed.
“If (the measures) will have to exceed those two months, economic managers will, of course, have to assess where we can tap further resources to extend more support,” Chua said.
Difficult issue
Carlos Dominguez, Department of Finance (DOF) secretary, yesterday the easing of the lockdown is a “very very difficult issue.”
“At one point we were discussing with some professors of ethics to balance the need for economic activity and jobs, as against safety and lives of people, and essentially we have chosen to do this lockdown based on facts. What it has shown is that there are areas in the Philippines that are less affected by virus and we have began to lift restrictions in those areas,” Dominguez said in a webinar organized by the Harvard Business School Owners and Presidents Management Program Philippines.
“What we are trying to avoid is a spike in infections and deaths in case we loosen up to quickly. All we have look at is the island of Hokkaido and Singapore, and see that when they took the foot of the gas, from the pedal, the infections spiked,” he added.
Dominguez said that aside from the risk of losing lives, the country’s health care capacity may not be able to handle another COVID-19 spike.
“We’re being very very careful and of course we realize the pain that’s happening, but if you lost money, you can regain it, but if you lost the life you cannot bring that back,” Dominguez said.
Meanwhile, Secretary Ramon Lopez of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said the true restart of the economy may have to wait until after May 15.
At the Laging Handa virtual briefing yesterday, Lopez said with half of economy set to operate starting tomorrow in GCQ areas, this will help growth but “not in a big way” since National Capital Region, Regions 3 and 4 as well as Cebu and Davao – which have a big share in the economy – are still on ECQ until May 15.
“We will have to wait 15 more days or more for the rest of the economy to move…but this should be done gradually,” Lopez said.
Testing not a must
This developed as Lopez said testing for COVID-19 will not be a requirement for companies reopening under the GCQ.
For industries in GCQ areas resuming operations, Lopez said testing workers is not compulsory and will be limited to only those that have symptoms or are sick.
“We are coming from an ECQ period (of more than a month), if one has gotten sick, he could have shown symptoms,” Lopez said.
But he said companies can initiate and invest on the reverse transcription polymerase reaction (PCR) tests for their employees following protocols set by the Department of Health.
Lopez said a separate protocol is being drafted by the DTI with the Department of Labor and Employment on the minimum health standards Health to be observed in these industries.
He said as the country increases its ability to conduct PCR testing – to 20,000 per day by May 16 and 30,000 by May 30 – the government will be able to do more in terms of opening the economy.
More manufacturing and services, including malls and construction are poised to open in GCQ areas beginning today.
