Malls will be closed if physical distancing not observed

Last updated on May 7th, 2021 at 07:15 am

METRO MANILA – As several malls begins to reopen in the modified enhanced community quarantine areas in the Philippines, Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar reminded the business owners that failures to implement safe physical distancing will result in the closure of their establishments.

There were pictures circulating on social media of long lines and crowds not practicing safe distance on Saturday, May 16, the first day of Metro Manila’s shift to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Eleazar said that he made stern warnings and failure to comply not only would result on the closure but also will receive appropriate charges from the government agency. All commanders have been directed to monitor the movement of people inside the malls.

“These commanders were instructed to warn the management of these malls and make sure that the warning be personally relayed to the mall management and other similar establishments,” Eleazar said in a statement.

Under the MECQ rules, the number of people at common areas of a mall should be limited to one person for every two square meters with control number of people going inside on each stop.

Shopper will have to line up and practice distancing outside once the mall has reached it maximum capacity. Other areas under MECQ are the provinces of Laguna, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Zambales; and cities of Cebu and Mandaue in Cebu province. All places outside the MECQ and ECQ were placed under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ).