Greenhills Mall reopens with strict social distancing measures

Popular shopping destination Greenhills Mall has reopened for business with strict social distancing measures in place to ensure the safety of patrons amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Sandra Aguinaldo’s report on “24 Oras,” San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora visited the mall on Thursday to inspect the changes made by mall management.

At the entrance, visitors must pass through a metal detector that can take body temperature and count the number of people entering the establishment.

Inside, several stalls have already resumed operations but there are others that remain closed.

Zamora said a permit from the City Hall is needed to reopen, citing as an example one vendor who was equipped with a face shield and whose stall had a plastic barrier aside from the necessary certificate of compliance, health clearance, and travel pass.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were around 1,700 stalls in the space.

This figure has been trimmed to enforce social distancing, with four stalls forming one cluster and each cluster being 2.6 meters apart from each other.

A marshal also regularly makes rounds to remind shoppers and vendors to observe physical distancing.

Alcohol dispensers, markers indicating where to stand, and “no mask, no entry” signs were also scattered throughout the mall.

“Pre-COVID, we were at 55,000 to 70,000 customers daily but right now we’re beginning to pick up. We are now at 3,000. We would like to assure you that we have done everything that we can to really assure your safety,” trade fair and exhibits head James Candelaria said.

Some vendors said their sales have remained low since reopening.

“‘Yung mga namimili naman dito sa Greenhills, punta na kayo kasi safe na ‘to. Ilang beses na ‘to na-disinfect at saka lahat naman ng protocol andiyan naman lahat, sumunod naman kami,” vendor Saadah Azis said.

Greenhills was earlier identified as a coronavirus hotspot after a 62-year-old male who frequented a prayer hall there tested positive for COVID-19 despite having no history of overseas travel. 

Several other COVID-19 patients were also linked to Greenhills.

“‘Pag pumayag na ang Inter-Agency Task Force na magkaroon ng religious activities, papayag na rin ang ating Greenhills Mall Management at siyempre ang lokal na pamahalaan ay bubuksan na rin ang ating prayer hall,” Zamora said.

The mayor also reported that the city has had some days where no new COVID-19 cases or deaths were reported.

San Juan has logged 324 cases with 212 recoveries and 44 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News