The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday cautioned against the proposal to do away with the Alert Level System (ALS) as a form of quarantine measure despite the recent decline in Covid-19 cases.
At the Laging Handa briefing on Monday, Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said that the proposal to move away from ALS must not be done immediately, noting the need to remind the public first that health protocols will always be in place.
“Dahan-dahan lang until masanay na tayo at ma-accept natin na ang new normal natin ay kasama na ’yung mga health protocol [We should implement it slowly until we are used to have accepted that the new normal comes with adhering to health protocols],” she said.
Such is crucial to ensure the safety of the public, especially those who are going out, she added.
With this, Castelo encouraged the public to get vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19 to allow the economy to safely reopen.
Last month, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria A. Concepcion said the country may forgo the use of ALS in curbing Covid-19 infection by March as the recent Omicron variant has resulted in milder cases.
What the government should further implement instead is minimum health protocol to avoid the spread of the virus, he said.
Under ALS, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) outlines the quarantine measures, depending on the level of infection in certain areas. Among these are the allowed operating capacity, activities and establishments for a specific period.
“We have to realize that we have to move on. Omicron, in a way, is the variant that is allowing us to do it,” the Go Negosyo founder said earlier.
In addition, he said consumers are more aware now about the health safety protocols when going out, which can help in curbing the infection.
Commodity prices
Meanwhile, Castelo explained that the new suggested retail price (SRP) bulletin is not meant to “curtail” the growth of retail stores, saying only certain items are being regulated.
The trade official, in addition, pointed out that the SRP is based on a reasonable price the DTI discussed with the manufacturers.
She said having an SRP could provide the consuming public, especially low-income families, access to said goods.
The DTI released last month an updated SRP list for basic necessities and prime commodities for 216 stock keeping units (SKU), 73 of which saw an increase.
The products that SRP hike include canned sardines, processed milk, bread, instant noodles, salt, detergent soap, bottled water, candles, processed canned meat and canned beef, toilet soap and battery.
Some 20 of them saw 1 percent to 5 percent increase, 43 registered 6 percent to 10 percent increase while the remaining ten SKUs had over 10 percent hike. 30
Image credits: Nonie Reyes