APD | China’s response to COVID-19 has been recognized worldwide as business climate improves

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

MANILA - Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said different countries have reported local and community transmission of the COVID-19 and they have responded differently based on their socio-political set-up.

“The most well documented is China’s lockdown of Wuhan and neighboring towns as the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized China’s comprehensive efforts from contact-tracing and surveillance, isolation and medical management and extreme social distancing (which) have been successful in interrupting the change of transmission,” Secretary Duque said at a press briefing attended by the national government’s Economic Cluster chaired by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III.

Secretary Duque said at the center of all these is China’s heightened diagnostic capacity “as the backbone of the national response to COVID-19.”

Cabinet secretaries from the Departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Labor and Employment, Tourism, National Economic and Development Authority and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas attended the briefing about the COVID-19’s impact on the country’s economy.

Secretary Dominguez said all their projections are based on estimates the COVID-19 will last until the first half of the year.

Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said economic activities in various parts of China have remained vibrant. Speaking at the same event, Secretrary Lopez said after a challenging month, the business climate in China has improved.

“Ninety-six percent of state-owned companies have 90 percent production rate, the top 500 corporations have 97 percent production while their SMEs have 52 percent,” Secretary Lopez said. He added he doesn’t see any problem significant pressure on the supply chain.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)