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‘PH should focus on economy, not COVID-19’
MANILA — Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion emphasized the need for the country to focus on the economy instead of stricter COVID-19 measures as people are already aware of taking care of their own health.
“People may not die from COVID but they can die from hunger,” Concepcion said in an interview Wednesday with “The Chiefs” on One News.
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“The economy is what we have to focus on. We have to get tourism back on its feet, and we want to see mobility. How do you expect our GDP to grow unless consumer spending happens?” he said. Concepcion said that the economy and job creation are now the priority.
Concepcion has been vocal against re-imposing mask man- dates in the country after it was floated as a possibility following the rise in COVID positivity rates.
Earlier this week, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases announced that it would not mandate the wearing of face masks amid an uptick in COVID positivity rates.
“If we go creating unnecessary fear, then the tourists and investors will have second thoughts,”
Concepcion said, adding that the Philippines must send the right signals to the world by showing that the country has learned to live with COVID.
“All over the world, people are no longer talking about COVID,” he added.
Concepcion explained that the rise in positivity rates has not overwhelmed the country’s health care system, unlike during the height of the pandemic.
Go Negosyo cited earlier data from OCTA Research which showed the positivity rate in the National Capital Region rose to 18.8 percent last May 1 but noted zero deaths from COVID in the NCR in the past weeks.
It added that health care utilization rate in the NCR as of endApril is at 22 percent, which is still very low.
Concepcion said even his parents, who are in their 90s, caught COVID but have managed well.
He also said that it might be time to trust that people can take care of their own health.
“By now, people already know how to manage their own situations,” he said. (Philstar.com)