Biz leaders to public: Health measures should remain during Christmas gatherings

THE business community in Cebu has urged employees to practice strict health protocol even in the comfort of their houses for the Christmas celebration.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Felix Taguiam said health measures should remain to prevent a surge of cases as more people are expected to go to their respective hometowns for the holidays.

“Christmas is just around the corner. It is true that the risk of transmission will be very high. Even our health officials are not allowing carolings, huge gatherings and our traditional Misa de Gallo will still have to be carefully planned out,” he said.

Due to the pandemic, Taguiam said the public should not let up with necessary precautions as part of prevention measures against the Covid-19 virus.

“Christmas has always been with family and friends but due to this pandemic, let’s all help one another. We need to understand the situation. It’s not that the mayor does not want us not to celebrate the most important time of the year, it’s because of our health,” he said.

Recently, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella issued an executive order banning street caroling to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the holidays.

“Let’s not forget our basic protocols,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Steven Yu called out some government units to help the economy recover while at the same time achieve zero cases.

“The goal should be to balance health and economy until the vaccine is successfully administered,” he said.

As long as the hospital capacity is not overwhelmed, the economy should be allowed to reopen, Yu said.

“So far, Covid affects less than 0.5 percent of the population but 90 percent of the economy is affected by the pandemic. Before it becomes irreparable, we should sustain the economy till the vaccine comes,” he said.

In the third quarter of 2020, the Philippine economy contracted for the third consecutive quarter, with gross domestic product declining by 11.5 percent.

The economy contracted 16.9 percent in the second quarter, which was the lowest recorded quarterly growth in decades. (JOB)

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