(SPOT.ph) On March 12, malls around Metro Manila began declaring adjusted operating hours in line with President Duterte's recently announced "community quarantine" as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as of today, March 14, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said in a press conference that the Metro Manila Council "passed a reso having a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m." and that they also requested for malls to be closed, with only supermarkets, pharmacies, and banks to remain open. As of writing, Ayala Malls and selected malls in BGC will be closing earlier starting today, March 14, while SM Malls and Robinsons Malls in Metro Manila will be implementing earlier closing times starting tomorrow, March 15.
Malls will begin closing at 7 p.m. to comply with the MMDA's 8 p.m. curfew. Robinsons Malls in Antipolo City will be complying with the curfew as well.
The Metro-wide curfew is set to take place from March 15 to April 14, in line with the community quarantine. The President clarified during the March 12 press conference that the "community quarantine" was "not a martial law."
During these times, it is important to remember to stay calm—don't panic, only buy what you need, and always, always wash your hands properly with soap to protect yourself against the pandemic.
UPDATE (March 14, 3:38 p.m.): This article was updated to reflect the adjusted operating hours of Robinsons Malls, which will be starting on March 15 instead of March 14.