Concepcion: No need for COVID-19 alert level system

MANILA, Philippines — There is no more need for an alert level system in the country as Filipinos have learned to live with COVID, according to Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion.

“The question we should be asking is why are we still implementing this alert level system when we are no longer under a state of public health emergency?” Concepcion said in a statement yesterday.

At the height of the pandemic, the Go Negosyo founder led private sector efforts in purchasing vaccines and actively pushed for the gradual reopening of the economy.

“We don’t have alert level systems when there are a lot of dengue cases. We warn the public and increase awareness so that they will be more careful,” Concepcion said.

He said the country could not afford to implement lockdowns or see a loss of consumer confidence.

“We need more mobility and spending if we want to see our GDP (gross domestic product) move higher. We have to remember that it is the economy that is at a higher risk now,” he said.

Concepcion said there is little evidence that the currently circulating variant is a cause for concern.

“This is still the COVID variant that is mild, even the doctors are saying that,” he said, adding most experts do not see the health care system under threat.

Hospital capacity was among the considerations in the imposition of mobility restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.

“At this point, Filipinos know what to do. They are aware of the risks but are willing to take them because they are capable of managing them. Filipinos, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, know when situations are risky and they mask up,” Concepcion said.

He expressed belief that this is still the case even as 56 of 82 provinces in the Philippines are under Alert Level 1 until the end of the month.

Alert Level 1 is the most lenient alert level system with public transportation and business establishments allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity.

Some provinces remained under Alert Level 2 since last year due to low vaccination rates.

“I think we have achieved a level of immunity that is both vaccine-induced and from getting exposed to COVID. I still see people masking up when in enclosed spaces and refraining from going to work when they test positive,” Concepcion said.

Despite this, he reiterated the call to make bivalent vaccines available to the public.

“Part of empowering our citizens is letting them have access to the vaccines they need. And this begins with having the manufacturers get the certificates of product registration for the bivalent vaccines,” he said.