DTI Secretary Suggests Incentives For Fully-Vaccinated Individuals

Written by Marc Adrian

DTI Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez encouraged government to allow fully-vaccinated individuals to have dine-in and personal care services privileges to encourage people to get vaccinated. Lopez remarked after the government announced the MECQ status of the National Capital Region until September 7.

While the easing of quarantine regulations from ECQ to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) allowed more business sectors to open, it still prohibits dine-in and personal care services.

Lopez clarified that he is pushing to allow the vaccinated in prohibited sectors such as dine-in and personal care. He also added that it isn’t likely to have an increase in severe critical cases with the vaccinated due to its promise and cases should not worsen.

“We believe in the vaccine. So we should believe in the vaccinated… and parang (this should be sort of) incentive to the vaccinated… to encourage vaccination.”

By allowing the vaccinated to open a bit to the said sectors, it could help bring back jobs, Lopez added. He pointed out that about one million dine-in service workers are affected and around PHP1.5 billion in revenues are gone per week, on top of the 200,000 jobs in personal care services.

On the other hand, non-essential retail trade establishments are only allowed to have 50% of venue capacity under MECQ. Businesses under this industry as clothing and accessories, jewelry, flower, novelty, antique, perfume shops, toy stores, music stores, art galleries, and firearms and ammunition stores. Other manufacturing activities also allowed to operate during MECQ with the same capacity, which is as follows: electrical machinery, wood products, and furniture, textiles, paper products, rubber and plastic products, refined petroleum products, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, and transport equipment.

 

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