Queretaro, Qro. The commerce sector of the state remains on the lookout for the influence that the rebound in infections could have on economic activity. Covid-19.
The president of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Kanaco Servitur), in Querétaro, Fabián Camacho Arredondo, acknowledged that the sector lowered its guard and made health protocols more flexible.
Therefore, he called on commerce in general to resume and strengthen sanitary measures, with the purpose of cutting the chains of contagion and avoiding a setback in the state scenario that restricts hours and capacity in establishments.
“From the chamber of commerce we have started with a wake-up call to affiliated businesses and businesses, to resume these measures that during 2021 guaranteed the full exercise of consumption and economic strengthening. For this reason, we strengthen this exercise, seeking that in the face of the increase in contagion, at least in economic matters, we can continue to maintain ourselves in favorable scenarios, abiding by what the health protocols mark,” he explained.
With the beginning of the year, he affirmed, it was detected that the businesses have omitted measures such as taking the temperature, using disinfectant substances for the hands and have even stopped using the CO2 meters.
“We have detected that in the first month of the year the consumption centers have relaxed the health measures in general terms, they have stopped using the CO2 meters, which is a guarantee to reduce the risk of contagion, they have stopped taking temperatures, to use the antibacterial gel”, he explained.
According to the leader of the chamber, it is essential that businesses strengthen their protocols again, to influence the reduction of infections, as well as avoid pressure on hospital services.
Given this scenario, the level of absenteeism in the commerce sector has begun to increase, since the members of the chamber reported an absenteeism of 18% in their workforces on January 18, which is currently at 20% and maintains a trend that could reach between 30 and 35% in the next few days, he exposed.
If the upward trend in infections is not contained, he explained, a complex scenario would arise both in terms of health and economics.
Meanwhile, the sector remains expectant of the determinations issued by the Technical Committee for the Attention of Covid-19, because last week it warned that the state was close to regressing from the current modified Scenario A, to Scenario B.
“We value that if important measures are not taken these days, which avoid continuing to increase the number of infections and prevent the Technical Committee from making a decision to mobilize us to a restrictive scenario, if measures are not taken, absenteeism could arrive in the next few days until 30 or 35%, which would have strong implications for business productivity and a setback in the rate of growth that we had,” he declared.
In 2020, the value of the state’s tertiary activities fell 7.3%, according to the results of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), an indicator that reflects the first impacts of the pandemic in this economic sector.
The fall was mainly due to wholesale trade, which fell 13.9%; as well as transportation, mail and storage, which fell 20.3%; temporary accommodation and food and beverage preparation services fell 48.7% and retail trade with a drop of 7.2%, details the institute.
estados@eleconomista.mx