Ricardo Márquez, president of the National Society of Industries, analyzed possible exits for the items that still cannot reopen, such as bars, discos, casinos and gyms. For his part, Miguel Vega Alvear, considered some options based on international experiences
Faced with the State of Emergency due to the pandemic, the government decided to divide the economic reactivation into phases, according to the categories of the companies. While mining, construction, commerce and manufacturing took priority, little by little restaurants, shopping malls and beauty salons were reopening.
Initially, the start of phase 4 was scheduled for August, which includes the reopening of businesses such as gyms, cinemas, casinos, discos and the restart of international flights. However, Prime Minister Walter Martos, when he was still serving as Defense Minister, indicated that it is not scheduled and there is still no date for this stage.
In this line, Miguel Vega Alvear, representative of the companies in the Multisectoral Working Group for the Resumption of Economic Activities, acknowledged that there is a delay in the implementation of phase 3, so it is not yet foreseen when the fourth will begin reactivation stage. He said that still "work on health protocols, the review of the Ministry of Health and the publication of part of the corresponding sector."
In this regard, Ricardo Márquez, president of the National Society of Industries (SNI), commented that this is the phase that includes areas where there is more agglomeration and people. And this paralysis has been affecting micro, small, medium and large companies, which handle the crisis according to their financial backing.
Although the increase in restrictions by the government to mitigate the pandemic is detrimental to the economic reactivation, Márquez said that they are necessary because the population must understand that the numbers are worrying. "This disease is going to keep us on edge this year and next, and it's about deaths," he adds.
PROVIDE SOLUTIONS
Vega Alvear considered some options around the return of the companies involved in phase 4. He gave New Zealand as an example, a country that has an image of leadership in the face of pandemic control, and where to boost internal tourism, they reduced the days working, Monday through Thursday, suppressing Friday, so that people visit other places.
“Peru is not a country like those of the Caribbean with seasonal tourism, Peru calls for being a country with a millenary culture. We can stimulate internal tourism, organized, with masks, due capacity and everything that is deemed pertinent. And companies, hotels and restaurants are going to respond to save their businesses, ”Vega Alvear said.
He added that there are other areas where demand has dropped and they do not know how much longer they will be like this and that they have to reconvert. “If a reconstruction can be done industrially, in good time. Peru is a country rich in mining, agricultural, forestry and tourism resources that provides space to be creative in one's own activity ”, he indicates.
For his part, Márquez said that he has witnessed companies such as gyms that were operating and making profits until December. But those who do not belong to a chain, the nationals, many have gone bankrupt, unable to pay rent or wages to their workers because they still cannot operate.
"There is a direct impact, what I ask is that these companies be served, and that these entrepreneurs can have the same treatment that is being given to restaurants. That a fund be created to see how they are reconverted into another type of business ”, he assured.
This support fund must leave the State, he assured, because its purpose must be that companies do not close. "They are already doing it with restaurants and a solution must be found for those in phase 4. Now, there will be people who want to continue and turn their business around and others who do not," he emphasizes.
The union manager acknowledged that most companies in other sectors have been recovering slowly, but that does not mean that there are no problems.
