MANILA, Philippines — It is safe to visit Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan City as steps have been taken to decontaminate the prayer room at the mall that has been frequented by a person found positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said on Monday that the management has already sanitized and disinfected the room as well as the whole shopping center.
“I would like to assure the public that it is safe to go to the Greenhills Shopping Center and that it is safe to go to the city of San Juan,” Zamora told reporters in an interview at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.
He added that he regularly checking the mall management if they are complying with the sanitation and disinfection of the whole of the shopping center.
Contact tracing of the confirmed case is already on-going, Zamora also assured.
Last week, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that two Filipinos have tested positive for the virus. One of them is a 62-year-old man who regularly worshiped at a Muslim prayer hall in Greenhills, San Juan City.
READ: DOH confirms 2 local virus cases; prayer hall shut
Zamora has ordered the suspension of classes on all levels — both public and private — to allow officials to sanitize and disinfect the classrooms.
READ: Classes in San Juan suspended due to COVID-19 outbreak
He will also meet with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday afternoon to discuss the approach of the local government against the COVID-19 case.
“We are in constant coordination with the DOH at kung mayroon mang suspected COVID-19 case ay alam na namin ng protocols on how to coordinate with DOH,” he said.
(We are in constant coordination with the DOH and if there is a suspected case of COVID-19, we already know the protocols.)
The DOH reported 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country with seven confined to hospitals, two have recovered and one died.
The DOH has raised Code Red Sublevel 1 over the weekend after it confirmed the country’s first local transmission of the disease.
READ: DOH raises code red due to coronavirus threat
President Rodrigo Duterte has also signed a proclamation declaring a state of a public health emergency.
READ: Duterte declares state of public health emergency over coronavirus