New mall protocols to stay until public safe

NEW NORMAL A security guard gets the temperature reading of a customer. —FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The “new normal” practices against COVID-19 in mall establishments would be implemented indefinitely until it was deemed that the public was safe from the dreaded respiratory illness, the government said on Sunday.

“The minimum public health standards should be implemented until we can safely say, based on evidence, that we are already safe from the virus,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in an online briefing.

She urged the public to comply with government and malls’ measures against the virus and adopt to the “new way of life.”corona

“The government is providing and enforcing the guidelines. Mall owners are complying with the protocols. What is left for all of us is to recognize that part of our responsibility. All individuals have their own responsibility in this pandemic,” said Vergeire.“The fight is not over yet, the war is still here. We don’t have a vaccine yet so we have to remain vigilant,” she added.

Malls were allowed to reopen essential shops in compliance with government guidelines such as mandatory wearing of face masks and strict implementation of physical distancing, among others.

“We can’t afford to be lax probably until next year. In the next two years, we will still need to practice this,” Trade Undersecretary and spokesperson Ruth Castelo said in the online forum hosted by the Department of Health.“We all need to comply,” she said.