Cavite government reopens malls

MANILA, Philippines — Malls in Cavite will reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday following changes in guidelines for operations which were set to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to Governor Jonvic Remulla.

“Mamaya (at) 10 a.m., bukas na ang mga mall (Later at 10 a.m, the malls will reopen),” Remulla said in a Facebook post.

Remulla earlier ordered the shutdown of malls in Cavite after receiving reports that the public flocked to these establishments and disregarded physical distancing protocols following the province’s transition to general community quarantine on May 16.

He said his office discussed the matter with management of several malls on Tuesday where they agreed about certain measures to be observed for its operations.

The governor said that according to guidelines, mall hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last customer entering the building at 5 p.m. and the last customer exiting by 6 p.m.

Only local customers will be allowed, said Remulla.

“Paumanhin sa mga taga-Bailen. Sa Tagaytay po ang lugar na pwede kayo (I am sorry for those living in Bailen. You can go to malls in Tagaytay),” he added.

A one-hour time pass will also be issued to everyone who enters the mall. Mall-goers will be allowed inside the building for only an hour.

“Ang supermarket ay walang time limit. Pero may customer limit. 1 customer in, 1 customer out. Hindi ninyo karapatan ang oras na ito. Ito ay pribilehiyo para sa inyong ikabubuti. Huwag abusuhin at marami pang ibang customer na kailangan bumili,” he also said.

(There will be no time limit in supermarkets. But there will be a customer limit. 1 customer in, 1 customer out. The time inside will not be your right. It is your privilege for your good. Don’t abuse it because there will be other customers who still need to go buy groceries.)

Mall management should also ensure that people waiting outside the establishment are practicing physical distancing, according to Remulla.

Meanwhile, priority lanes for frontliners will still be set up in malls in the province.

“You are our heroes. You are welcome in any mall anywhere,” said the governor.

EDV