More protocols expected in Cebu City malls due to influx of mallgoers
Minors age 18 years old and below are now allowed to enter malls in Cebu City which is placed under Alert Level 2 by the IATF. But mall managements require they should be accompanied by fully vaccinated adults. | CDN Digital Photo by Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Officials from Cebu City have diverted their attention to malls instead of cemeteries in this year’s Kalag-Kalag.
This after they expressed concerns over an increase of mallgoers over the weekend.
Councilor Joel Garganera, head of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said they will be deploying police and personnel of Task Force Kasaligan in malls starting today, November 1, 2021, to ensure minimum health standards are being complied with.
“I already informed the malls (about) that and we (will) send additional Kasaligan and PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel in their area,” Garganera told reporters.
The city government and management of Cebu City’s malls held a meeting last Saturday, October 30, to discuss on how to address the growing influx of mallgoers, Councilor Dave Tumulak confirmed in a separate interview.
“Ang atong kabalaka wa sa menteryo, naa sa malls. Sukad pa niadtong adlawng Biyernes ug Sabado ug kagahapon, naobserbaran nga grabe gyud ang mga bata ug mga tawo nga nidagsa run sa mga tagsa-tagsa sa malls,” said Tumulak.
(Our concern is not in cemeteries anymore, it’s in the malls. Over the weekend, we observed that there were are a lot of kids and people going to the malls.)
Aside from providing additional enforcers in malls, the city government also urged parents with children to follow health protocols.
“They’re the ones exposing their children to risks, and consequently, the rest of the family. The government and our people can only do so much. I know the private businesses are also doing their best,” explained Garganera.
“Dili man pud gud maayo sa mga bata nga pirmi ra naa sa balay. It’s against their nature as a child, mao na the burden should be more on the parents. Otherwise, unsustainable kaayo to always and consistently set age limits— this may also affect the well-being of the child,” he added.
(It’s also not good that kids are always at home. It’s against their nature as a child, that’s why the burden should be more on the parents. Otherwise, it’s unsustainable to always and consistently set age limits— this may also affect the well-being of the child.)
The EOC also suggested to mall managements to impose additional policies in order to reinforce health protocols such as limiting the number of people allowed in a toy store and implementing queues.
“These establishment inside the malls like toy stores should be mindful all the time about their capacity. They should put queue lanes outside their entrance in order to secure social distancing,” Garganera said.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) placed Cebu City under Alert Level 2 on October 20. It will last until November 14.
In Alert Level 2, minors age 18 years old and below are allowed to go outside of their houses even if they’re not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Malls in Cebu City required children to be accompanied by fully vaccinated adults as a condition for entry.
/bmjo
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