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SM calls North Edsa photos ‘fake news,’ says its malls comply with anti-COVID-19 measures

Published May 19, 2020 05:01 PM By TINA PANGANIBAN-PEREZ,GMA News

SM Supermalls says it is implementing a “no mask, no quarantine pass, no entry” policy in its malls, including SM Aura (above), as well as temperature checks and disinfection at the entrances and social distancing inside the malls. The number of people allowed inside at a time is also controlled. Tina Panganiban-Perez

SM Supermalls on Monday branded as “fake news” videos circulating online that supposedly show a lack of social distancing in SM City North Edsa on the first day of the implementation of the modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila last Saturday.

“That video is actually fake news. That video was taken early March or mid-March,” SM Supermalls president Steven Tan told GMA News in an exclusive e-interview.

“They sensationalized it and they intentionally, you know, brought it out last Saturday. But that was not taken last Saturday,” he added.

Tan said that SM Supermalls comply with the anti-COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Department of Trade and Industry and local government units.

He said these include social distancing; temperature checks, hand sanitizers and foot baths at mall entrances; and safety protocol officers who check that social distancing in the malls is being observed.

SM Aura also has a "Get and Go" station where customers can pick up their orders without disembarking from their vehicles.

An SM Aura sanitation worker disinfects the door handrail at a mall entrance, where visitors' temperatures are checked. The entrances also have hand sanitizers and foot baths. Tina Panganiban-Perez

SM Aura's "Get and Go" station outside the mall's entrance allows customers to pick up their purchases without having to set foot in the mall. They only need to place their orders with the store ahead of time. Tina Panganiban-Perez

Packages bought in SM Aura come with cards bearing the name of the employee who prepared them and their temperature. Tina Panganiban-Perez

SM Aura also has a Get and Go station where customers can pick-up their orders without disembarking from their vehicles.

“Stop spreading fake news. Sensationalizing things is fake news. So let’s all be very responsible as a digital citizen. You know, think before you click,” Tan added.

Robinsons Malls also had to address rumors of lack of social distancing at its malls, saying that photos used in viral posts were old ones. — BM, GMA News

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