MANILA, Philippines — As the government looks to start pilot testing the granular lockdown in the National Capital Region (NCR), presidential adviser for entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion renewed his push for eased restrictions for the vaccinated.
In an interview with “The Chiefs” over Cignal TV’s One News Friday night, he said he sees the granular lockdown as the right approach and hopes that the quarantine levels to be issued will not be confusing.
The Inter-Agency Task for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has provisionally approved the rules on the pilot testing of the granular lockdowns in Metro Manila, which may be implemented from Sept. 16 to 30.
Under this system, there would be only two quarantine classifications – enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine with the latter having alert levels 1 to 4, which would identify establishments allowed to open and the corresponding operating capacity.
Concepcion said the government should also test allowing greater mobility for the vaccinated, particularly in local government units with the highest vaccination rate in the NCR.
Metro Manila mayors recently issued a resolution urging the IATF to consider easing restrictions for those who have been fully inoculated against COVID-19.
“What the mayors in NCR did was to put a resolution forward… What they want to do is to pilot test it and I agree with them,” Concepcion said.
He earlier proposed a “bakuna bubble” that would allow vaccinated individuals to avail of services at dine-in restaurants, gyms and salons to spur economic activity.
He said he does not understand why the proposal is seen as discriminatory when many of those admitted in hospitals for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
“The vaccines do protect those who take it from getting severe infections and going to hospitals. So, I don’t seem to understand why people are having a hard time accepting that as a fact when the rest of the world also sees the same thing, when they are reducing the mobility of those at high risk,” he said.
He also said the proposal is seen to help generate consumption from the vaccinated which is needed in the fourth quarter.
As COVID-19 is going to be around for some time, he said it is time to try a new approach as we learn to live with the virus.
“If we don’t pilot test things, then we will never learn how to live with this virus because this is going to be here for quite some time. After this, enter another variant. So if we don’t and can’t live with this, then the Philippine economy will really suffer. I tell you, it will suffer. It’s not the end. I am still optimistic the fourth quarter will be a great quarter but let us try to learn and live with COVID-19 and, to me, that is the only way we will survive an economic challenge,” he said.
Age restriction
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is proposing an age restriction for vaccinated individuals that are to be allowed to avail of services in dine-in restaurants, salons and barbershops.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said during the briefing with President Duterte aired yesterday that the agency has proposed twice to the IATF to allow vaccinated individuals below 65 years old freer movement, citing the need for a different approach to address the ongoing pandemic.
“Middle ground to be safe is allowing only the vaccinated. They are safe in these restricted sectors,” he said.
Lopez noted that those above 65 years old, even when already fully vaccinated, are at risk of developing critical or severe cases when they get infected with COVID-19 as opposed to those who are younger, although he qualified that it would still be “up to the health experts if they want to put an age restriction.”
He said the proposal could be pilot tested in the NCR, which has already vaccinated more than 50 percent of its population.
“We believe because they are vaccinated, they would not develop severe or critical (COVID-19) cases and hospitals would not be overwhelmed,” he added.
The proposal is being pushed to help affected workers in dine-in restaurants and salons, which have been prohibited to operate since Aug. 6.
Lopez said about two million workers are employed in dine-in restaurants, while the salons have around 400,000 workers.
Earlier, Metro Manila mayors issued a resolution calling on the IATF to consider relaxing restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals. In the resolution, the mayors said easing restrictions would not just give a boost to employment and the economy, but also encourage more individuals to receive their COVID-19 jabs.