President Rodrigo Duterte urged owners of malls, bazaars, and other shopping centers to ensure the health and safety of their workers once the general community quarantine (GCQ) or the “new normal” starts on May 1.
“Iyong mga tindahan (Those stores), ‘yung mga (those) bazaars, mga malls — big or small — it behooves upon you to see to it that the workers are protected,” Duterte said in a televised public address on Monday night.
He said mall owners should also disinfect their workplaces and provide durable masks for their employees.
“The sanitation of the place must be guaranteed and that the employees are provided with durable and workable masks,” he said.
Duterte said since the government has granted the request for “non-leisure stores” in malls to partially open, they should also comply with quarantine protocols.
“When you asked us to open, we agreed but there are the protocols to be followed. Not immaculately clean but just sanitize it for Covid not to thrive,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also thanked Filipinos for following the guidelines under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which will lapse on May 15.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa inyo for heeding the warnings of government na mag-quarantine kayo para maprotektahan ninyo ‘yung sarili ninyo at ‘yung kapwa tao ninyo (I am thanking you for heeding the warnings of government to observe quarantine to protect yourselves and others),” he said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the number of people accosted for quarantine violations went down by 45 percent after the police beefed up its crackdown on individuals defying the guidelines. (Azer Parrocha/PNA)
