By Analou De Vera
The month-long nationwide mall sale scheduled to start on Sunday, March 1, has been postponed indefinitely over the risk posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced Saturday.
The DOT said that it decided to postpone the event “given the alarming rise in coronavirus disease infections all over the world during the past few days.”
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the DOT maintains its stance to prioritize the safety of citizens “more than visitor arrivals and revenue.”
“As much as we want to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19, the safety of our citizens remains our priority,” Puyat said in a statement.
“The DOT has coordinated with the mall establishments and is thankful for their support on the decision to postpone the nationwide sale to a later date for the safety of their customers,” she added.
Puyat said mall establishments are free to continue their day-to-day operations, encouraging them to observe precautionary measures as advised by the Department of Health (DOH).
“The DOT also recommends that malls follow the precautionary measures set by the Department of Health such as checking the temperatures of mall-goers before allowing them to enter, and the provision of more hand sanitizers in their premises,” said the Tourism chief.
“We advise the general public to maintain proper hygiene and follow the guidelines set by the Department of Health to contain the spread of the virus,” she added.
During a press briefing last Friday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated the previous advisory of the DOH, encouraging the public to avoid crowded places for the time being following the threat of the COVID-19.
“Our advisory remains. If it can be helped, we discourage people from going to places where there is quite a volume of people just to make sure that no increased risk is going to confront our people,” said Duque.