National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Ernesto Pernia said he is in favor of 50 percent or calibrated opening of shopping malls as there are only 14 days before the Luzon-wide lockdown ends.
Pernia, however, emphasized that safeguard measures to prevent the spread of pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) should be continuously observed.
“Parang calibrated opening of malls and other areas where we can still have the necessary safeguard against contracting the disease,” Pernia said in an interview over dzMM.
“Siguro partial also, siguro. For example, SM is really suffering from the closure of malls. They have so many, with 100,000 employees yata so I think siguro 50 percent opening, ganun,” he added.
He recommended that employers should arrange shuttle services for their staff to practice physical distancing.
“Siguro yung physical distancing can be better achieved yung mga big companies that have workers, may mga shuttle buses silang sarili para mabawasan yung public commuting,” he said.
(Maybe the physical distancing can be better achieved if the big companies that have workers would provide shuttle buses so public commuting would be lessened.)
Pernia also said other businesses that provide services for personal needs like laundry shops and haircut salon might also open.
“There are other needs of people like haircuts, wala nang mga haircuts ang mga tao ngayon e. Yung mga ganun ba, mga personal needs, personal maintenance,” Pernia said.
(There are other needs of people like haircuts. People have no haircuts nowadays. Things like that, personal needs, personal maintenance.)
“Laundry, mga house cleaning, maraming mga kailangan na hindi talaga vitally necessary but kailangan din for more comfortable living,” he added.
(Laundry, house cleaning, there are needs which are not vital but are also necessary for more comfortable living.)
The NEDA Secretary earlier proposed a Luzon modified lockdown, which eases transportation restrictions and opens retails shops.
“I would suggest that it would be some kind of a modified lockdown, maybe Metro Manila also easing some of the restrictions like transportation moving around, the opening of pharmacies and sources of food and other retail shops for basic needs of people,” he said.