MALL SALE A large crowd gathers for a mall sale in Cagayan de Oro City, violating social distancing. —PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES MARQUEZ
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines — The city government here may penalize the mall and store owner whose clearance sale had attracted crowds of shoppers on Saturday, violating health protocols at the time when the city was battling a spike in new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
Lawyer Jose Edgardo Uy, head of the city’s Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB), said his office suspended the sale until the mall management could assure the city government that it would comply with basic health protocols.
The sale featuring as much as 80-percent discounts of branded shoes at Planet Sports located inside the Limketkai mall was supposed to run from Aug. 15 to Aug. 21 before the RCB closed it before noon on Saturday. Photos that spread on social media showed a large crowd at the sale, defying rules of physical distancing.
Uy said the law enforcement cluster of the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had been investigating the incident and that the RCB would issue penalties and sanctions against violators once the IATF cluster completes its findings.
Uy, however, assured that the mall was still open to shoppers.
“Only the atrium is closed to the public. People who are inside the mall can still go to other stores,” Uy added.
Uy said he received reports that mallgoers ignored the reminders of security personnel and law enforcers in their excitement to go to the marked-down sale.
Standing close to each otherDr. Charles Marquez of the City Health Insurance Office, who happened to be at the mall at the time, estimated that some 500 people crowded the establishment, standing close to each other as they lined up to get to the atrium where the items were displayed.
The atrium, which can accommodate hundreds of people, also serves as the Limketkai Center’s venue for conventions and social gatherings.
“Even before the mall opened, people were already queuing at the entrances without observing social distancing,” Marquez said. “As the entrances opened, people rushed to the atrium [where the sale was being held],” he added.
Since the space of the centrally air-conditioned mall is enclosed, the risk of COVID-19 infection is high, he said.
AppealCity Councilor George Goking, chair of the trade and commerce committee, appealed to commercial establishments and business operators to strictly implement the basic health protocols issued by the IATF.
“We are not against the holding of sales and similar promotions, but they must keep in mind our health protocols such as the wearing of face mask, face shield, disinfection, and observance of social distancing,” Goking said.
Limketkai Center admitted on social media that some safety protocols were not observed due to the unexpected number of shoppers at what was dubbed as “The Warehouse Clearance Sale.”
“Please be advised that our management has temporarily stopped the activity at the atrium,” the statement said. “Rest assured that Limketkai mall is one with the government in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” it added.