THE Centre for Market Education (CME) today welcomes the Government’s decision to revise the threshold indicators for the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
“The new benchmarks based on the number of daily hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients set for states to progress from one phase to another under the national recovery plan as announced by coordinating minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz are a step in the right direction,” said CME CEO Dr Carmelo Ferlito.
“This is the recognition that a zero-case policy cannot be pursued and we need to find a way to live with COVID-19 protecting lives not only from the virus but also from the unintended consequences of lockdowns.”
CME further welcomes the Government’s intention to accelerate the reopening of the economy to avoid the collapse of the country and heavy damages in particular to the nation’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
However, CME believes that a reopening strategy can even proceed faster than announced if properly accompanied by a comprehensive support plan.
As such, CME observes the following:
- A reopening strategy cannot be based only on vaccination targets; such a strategy could backfire as vaccinated people can both be infected and infect others;
- The main issue is not the speed of reopening but the backup plan to allow an even wider reopening programme but in safety;
- Weekly tests at workplaces and schools should be the gold standard for a proper monitoring of the pandemic evolution with early detection aiming to minimise mortality;
- By avoiding lockdowns, resources can be saved for targeted investments in strengthening the country’s healthcare system with temporary hospitals, ICU beds and oxygen machines. This kind of investments have been the big missing point in the general anti-COVID-19 strategy implemented so far; and
- Research on an adequate pharmacological protocol should be incentivised.
“In a nutshell, we want a rapid return to normalcy whereby vaccination is one of the factors kept into account, together with a sound plan to avoid the programme to backfire,” Ferlito concluded. – Aug 11, 2021
