Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the business sector is pushing for Alert Level 2 to be declared in the National Capital Region (NCR) when Alert Level 3 lapses on Monday.

''We are also pushing for Alert Level 2. We can see in the projections of OCTA Research that by the first or second week of February (COVID-19) cases will go down here in the NCR. So we will ask that NCR be lowered to Alert Level 2,'' said Concepcion in an interview with dzBB Saturday.

The government is to announce on Saturday or Sunday if the current Alert Level 3 will remain in the NCR.

''It will be a waste if the bounce back in the fourth quarter cannot be sustained in the first quarter,'' said Concepcion.

''We cannot be living in fear all the time. The economy is being strangled,'' said Concepcion.'' We must really open the economy so the economic rebound will continue, especially for the small enterpreneurs.''

OCTA Research Fellow Guido David told dzBB in a separate interview although NCR hospital care utilization is less than 50 and the reproduction number is 0.50, '' there are concerns on the positivity rate, which is 21 percent, and the average daily attack rate is very high risk.''

David said it will be the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Department of Health that will decide if the alert level in NCR will be lowered. DMS