SHOPPING malls and commercial centers in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) may partially open provided that safety protocols against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are observed, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Thursday.
The new guidelines were approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Monday, took effect on Wednesday, but made public only on Thursday.
Roque said all mall operators are mandated to strictly follow “new normal” guidelines issued by the Department of Trade and Industry and adopted by the task force.
Among others, Roque said shopping malls and commercial centers are prohibited from holding sale events and other marketing promotions that attract large crowds and should turn off WiFi connections for shoppers. Management and maintenance should likewise maintain warm air-conditioning (26 degrees ) in the premises to discourage people from leaving their homes and hanging out in the establishments.
All mall goers should wear face masks and use hand sanitizers or alcohol upon entering the leisure centers.
To ensure social distancing inside mall premises, Roque said, only one person is allowed per two square meters of space or the observance of meter physical distancing per person. Entry points will be reduced to control the number of customers.
Senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disability can visit the shopping establishments but can only have one companion.
Other guidelines include assigning personnel in high-density areas; requiring people to stand on every other step of the escalator; limiting access to elevators to seniors citizens, PWDs, and pregnant women, and the total number of passengers to half of the original standard capacity; marking or reducing seats available for waiting; creating one-way flow to decongest queues and facilitate movement; designating a centralized pick-up location for delivery service providers; and increasing police visibility.
RESOLUTION 33
Roque said the IATF, through Resolution 33, has also approved the adoption of the Food Security Framework and the Food Safety Guidelines for the agriculture and fishery sectors which will ensure that the supply of fish and other agricultural products do not run out.
He said the IATF also approved the creation of the sub-Task Group for Supply Chain, the launching of the Supply Chain Analytics (SCAN) IATF Reporter Mobile App, and development of a SCAN Dispatch Optimization sub-dashboard for medical supplies which will ensure that all supplies and items that enter the country reach their intended beneficiaries at the soonest time possible.
Roque said the IATF also approved the creation of a national framework to increase the physical and mental resilience of the general public. This would make sure that Filipinos maintain not just healthy bodies but also healthy minds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A regional inter-agency task force headed by the Center for Health Development shall oversee the physical and mental resilience program.
The IATF also approved the grant of another 30-day grace period, from the last due date or from time of lifting of current lockdowns, for all banks, financial institutions, including GSIS, SSS and Pag-IBIG Fund loans, as well as residential and commercial rents falling due within the period of ECQ or GCQ without incurring interests, penalties, fees, or other charges.
Roque said the IATF had also directed the Department of Interior and Local Government to coordinate and assist the Department of Transportation in implementing the “Hatid Estudyante Program which aims to bring home students who have been stranded due to the lockdown back to their homes, especially in the provinces.
The GCQ include areas that are outside of the current enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which include the National Capital Region; Central Luzon except Aurora; Calabarzon region, and the provinces of Pangasinan, Albay, Iloilo, and Cebu; the cities of Baguio, Legazpi, Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Zamboanga.
