WHEN I took the liberty to post on Facebook what the city plans for the re-opening of tourism in the city. I deliberately included in my post that comments, questions and suggestions are welcome, so we can get feedback. And oh boy, what an overload of what I asked! So I'll use this column space to address some of the major questions and concerns that we received so far -- hoping that we can give some clarifications, and solicit more suggestions.
Why open now, when there is a steady increase in cases?
I think many got confused with the timing. The mention of September was only re-echoing the plan as projected long before, as even mentioned by the mayor many times. So, when we said we plan to open by September, we are still with the assumption that Covid cases are not getting worse in and out of the city -- a reason why there is not even a definite dat mentioned. We realize that that is not the situation now. So, we are still continually monitoring, assessing and consulting with different agencies and sectors, as to when would really be the best time.
Health workers and other frontliners might be overwhelmed. Are we really ready?
The main reason why I posted the notice was really to offer the proposed guidelines and systems that we want to put in place so as we be able to allay the fears of an unregulated influx of people, uncontrolled transmission, and yes, the overwhelming of our health care frontliners and facilities.
We are also discussing with our local health officials to help us determine our capacity and readiness. We see this as a dynamic process where decisions may change along the way depending on critical factors. The search for the balance between health, economy and social welfare is not easy, but we need to start exploring and planning for any eventualities. What should not find timing is our readiness -- it should be now.
How sure is it that the set guidelines shall be implemented strictly. Currently, we can't even keep a strict border control, what more if we open for tourists?
The recent reports of unauthorized entries to the city had been dealt with. As a matter of fact, the apprehension of some individuals was made recently due to such cases. Continuous monitoring, assessment and corrections are being done for improvement of border control. That is why we are introducing a technology that can help the system.
The online registration system, similar to the RBR system now for returning residents, will be a platform dedicated to visitors or non-residents. So we can monitor, or even regulate, their entry to the city, even before they come in. The features of this online system are something that I will discuss more lengthily in my next articles.
Can our friends and relatives who would like to visit us stay in our residences, instead of requiring them to go to hotels?
No. For health considerations, we intend that for now, we'll really limit the entry and mobility of visitors to avoid wide exposure to the locals and maintain safe distancing. We can only monitor their movement if they are in hotels that are certified to operate with strict health protocols set by the Department of Tourism and our LGU.
These hotels, even on short notice, can impose strict mobility guidelines for their guests. But this is only for a certain period as we start. In time, we can gradually ease-up the restrictions as we see fit, considering the trend of our Covid cases around the country, just like how it is for the general public.
Guidelines are very restrictive and the requirements can be very expensive and exclusive. It's only for those who can afford it.
It's the only way how we can start somehow to start building back our economy. There's a concept called "hammer and dance" introduced by economists during this time of the pandemic.
In a nutshell, it says that health and economic objectives are not mutually exclusive. The restrictions that we are proposing as a policy, at least for non-essential activities, may have little impact on the economy for now, but that is because we are still on a "hammer" stance. When we can somehow control transmission risks, then we can ease-up a few of our restrictions but with caution and systems in place, that's the "dance" stance. For now, we are still on a "hammer" stance.
When I posted the update on the re-opening our tourism, I aimed to engage and discuss with the general public and together seek for the most benefit for the many of us. I believe this engagement is not over yet. So yes, comments, questions and suggestions are still welcome.