Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion (file photo)
MANILA – Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion has laid out recommendations to prevent lockdowns during the fourth quarter in time for the Christmas holidays.
In a television interview Friday, Concepcion is pushing for separate ‘bubbles’ for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in Metro Manila, which means more mobility for vaccinated people and protecting unvaccinated people by limiting their movement only to workplaces.
He said this can be done once full vaccination in Metro Manila hits 50 percent.
The National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) reported that 41 percent of eligible individuals for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines already got their two shots.
“We should use the vaccinated people to do the consumer spending. They would create, they would be part of the economy; they would need to go out so they can start spending, so the economy could start moving,” Concepcion said.
He added vaccinated people should be allowed to go back to their workplaces and enter establishments, while unvaccinated ones should be limited only at their homes and workplaces.
“Moving forward, I believe this is the way forward to avoiding lockdowns in the future,” he said, adding that the Philippines would not be the first country to implement this, as greater mobility for vaccinated individuals are being allowed in neighboring countries like Singapore and Indonesia.
Concepcion is meeting with Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade Friday as he proposes separation of vaccinated and unvaccinated persons in public transportation like buses.
“So the proposal that we forward to Secretary Tugade is buses for fully vaccinated people from their home to their workplace to the different establishments… There are also buses for (the) unvaccinated because they have to go to work, but let us not risk them beyond their workplace,” Concepcion said.
He added this could be done until Metro Manila reached 90 percent of full vaccination.
“This is a transition to allow —remember we are entering (the) fourth quarter pretty soon. We have to prevent (the) fourth quarter from being locked down, and that would be devastating. So this bubble for fully vaccinated and unvaccinated in a separate bubble will allow the economy to open up safely without any more lockdowns,” Concepcion said. (PNA)
