By Kris Crismundo / Philippine News Agency
As Metro Manila transitions from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec. Ramon Lopez said more jobs are expected to return to the labor market.
“With most of the remaining economic sectors, particularly the service sectors to be reopened in Metro Manila, and at higher operating capacities because also of the de-escalation to Alert Level 3, we expect most of the balance [of] 300,000 displaced workers to be back to work,” Lopez told trade reporters in a Viber message Thursday (Oct. 14).
The DTI chief, however, said the job numbers are not yet back to pre-pandemic level, as business establishments are not yet operating at full capacity.
There are also business activities that are not allowed to reopen such as live entertainment, karaoke bars, and kids’ amusement centers, among others.
Lopez said since Alert Level 3 is similar to general community quarantine (GCQ), closed business establishments are expected at 4% level, the same level when the National Capital Region (NCR) was placed under GCQ early this year.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is placing the NCR at Alert Level 3 starting Saturday (Oct. 16).
Apart from increasing the operating capacity for establishments, the government has allowed cinemas to reopen after operations were halted for more than a year. (PNA) – jlo
