AS soon as younger children are allowed to get vaccinated, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) believes there’s no more reason to delay the resumption of face-to-face classes in the country.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said it is possible for the government to allow face-to-face classes to resume by January 2022.
“In the coming weeks, the vaccination program will include children aged 12 to 17. When the approvals are made, we will soon include children aged 5 to 11. This opens the door to the resumption of face-to-face schooling beginning in January 2022,” Chua said.
As of November 7, a total of 64.2 million vaccine doses have been administered across all priority groups and the general population, he noted.
Of this, 34.7 million were administered as first doses while 29.5 million were administered as the complete dose.
Given this and the steady supply of vaccines arriving in the country, it is possible to greet 2022 with a lower Alert Level 1 status, he said.
“To further sustain our growth this year and next year, the government will further accelerate the vaccination program, reopen to alert level 1 in January 2022, and maximize the use of the 2021 budget,” Chua said.
Higher spending
The lower case levels in the country is also encouraging Filipinos to go out and spend. Chua expects to see a surge in consumption, including next year.
This, Chua said, was natural given that many had to stay home during the lockdown to keep themselves and families safe from the virus.
The easing of mobility restrictions, he added, could lead to higher consumption. He said he himself had to go out and increase his spending on clothes, especially for his son who is now six years old.