Trade chief says no ovecrowding in shopping malls

May 18, 2020

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on Monday said there were no violations of quarantine protocols in shopping malls, branding the viral images and videos as fake news.

During Monday’s morning virtual hearing by the New Normal Cluster of the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee's (DCC), Lopez  told the sub-committee led by Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda that malls were only 20 percent filled.

"These are actual pictures...we made an inspection yesterday (Sunday) just for me to see and verify the various fake news coming out that there are so many people violating social distancing during the opening of malls," Lopez told the virtual hearing via Zoom application.

Being discussed was House Bill (HB) No. 6623 or the proposed “New Normal for the Workplace and Public Spaces Act of 2020.”

"So we checked personally some malls in the metropolis that were usually full on Sundays.  We can see there were not many people,'' Lopez said after malls in Metro Manila were allowed to reopen[partially.

"While we were interviewing, doing a quick survey, the crowd is only about 20 percent of what a typical Sunday afternoon (is), pre-COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19)," Lopez said.

Lopez said only 20 percent of the total mall stores have opened.

He said the rule is only one person is permitted to stay in a space of two square meters at any time at a store or shop inside the mall.

Lopez said mall goers are also "told to proceed with that errands and buy what they need to buy,” adding marshals are assigned to remind people to observe physical distancing and foot traffic rules through markers or partitions in the malls.

"So those are just examples of what we saw. Again there is no truth to all the fake news trying to discredit what the government has just decided (to slowly allow businesses to reopen) even partially (by) 50 percent, many of the stalls inside the malls," said Lopez.

On Sunday, Philippine National Police spokesman, Brigadier General Bernard Banac said  violation of quarantine protocols in shopping malls has prompted the Joint Task Force COVID Shield to warn it will recommend the closure of shopping malls and other establishments who will fail to address these.

Banac said police saw  “many shoppers enjoyed the day at the mall and overstayed inside supermarkets and shops such that by late afternoon, the accumulated number of people inside malls seemed to look like over-crowding.” DMS