Last week, an official of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines-Southern Mindanao Business Council (ECCP-SMBC) said there ought to be a “careful balancing act” in the decision to partially close the borders of Davao region.
According to the business executive, a careful balancing act is needed between the manner in which partial border closures and business operations are done and in achieving low infection rates while avoiding cases from escalating given the limited number of hospital beds relative to Davao Region’s population.
The source proposed two measures: First, secure Davao City from increasing infections experienced in other areas; and second, mitigate the adverse impact on business given the partial closure of the region’s borders.
In this pandemic, it is already a given that businesses will be hit hard where borders are closed given that supply chains and operations are likely to experience contractions and disruptions. The impact on businesses will be less if the partial closures are for a shorter time period.
Partial closures have been implemented in several parts of the world not only in the Philippines. The problem with partial closures is that you also solve the problem partially. You do not solve it entirely.
So in the long run, business will still be impacted. The blow may be slow but the period they endure the blows are prolonged.
That is because in a pandemic like this, we deal with the virus first. As in many successful jurisdictions around the world, the first order of the day is to get rid the virus first so that everyone goes back to their pre-pandemic lives. Easier said? Yes. But whether we like it or not, that is the hard truth. we just have to brace for that. Take the bull by the horn now and then ease up later when it’s done.
That is the only way. We cannot cut the corners so to speak.
