MANILA, Philippines — Vista Mall cinemas will temporarily stop operations starting March 15 to give way for disinfection as it tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in its movie theaters.
In a statement issued by the mall on Friday, operations of Vista Cinemas will be suspended for two weeks, starting March 15.
“During our two-week closure, we will take this time to further sanitize our cinemas, to ensure a virus-free environment when we resume operations,” read the statement.
The Vista Mall management also implemented a two-seat-apart scheme as part of a social distancing measure which is one of the health protocols to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The resolution also states that the “temporary closure will be subjected to day-to-day evaluation and other exemptions their city or municipality may enact.”
The Philippine government implemented community quarantine in Metro Manila after it upgraded its alert level from Code Red Sub-Level 1 to Code Red Sub-Level 2 because of the prevalence of COVID-19 cases beyond what the government can address.
Currently, the Philippines has 64 confirmed cases, including eight deaths from the coronavirus disease, a respiratory disease that is caused by the new coronavirus. Most of the patients diagnosed with the coronavirus disease are admitted to different Metro Manila hospitals.
The new coronavirus, which first emerged from Wuhan City in China’s Hubei province causes mild symptoms but it can also cause serious illness such as pneumonia for older people and those with other health issues.