Nationwide mall sale postponed ‘until further notice’ due to coronavirus concerns

In a statement on Saturday, February 29, the Tourism department explained that it decided to postpone the nationwide mall sale portion of the 2020 Philippine Shopping Festival “until further notice” to ensure the safety of the public. (File photo: Pixabay photo)

Adding to the number of events being affected due to the global novel coronavirus outbreak, the month-long nationwide mall sale scheduled to kick off on the first day of March was postponed by the Department of Tourism (DOT).

On Saturday, February 29, the Tourism department explained that it decided to postpone the nationwide mall sale portion of the 2020 Philippine Shopping Festival “until further notice” to ensure the safety of the public.

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“The DOT maintains its stance to prioritize the safety of its citizens more than visitor arrivals and revenue,” it said.

The DOT has already coordinated with the participating mall establishments in the sale, which, it said, were ‘supportive’ of their decision to postpone the nationwide mall sale.

Despite the event’s postponing, these malls are can still continue its day to day operations, the department added.

“The DOT also recommends that malls follow the precautionary measures set by the Department of Health (DOH) such as checking the temperatures of mall-goers before allowing them to enter and the provision of more hand sanitizers in their premises,” it said.

Meanwhile, it also advised the general public to maintain proper hygiene and follow the DOH’s guidelines to keep themselves safe from the virus.

Dubbed as the “first-ever shopping festival” in the country, the 2020 Philippine Shopping Festival aims to promote the Philippines as a place where shopping is “fun, unique, and affordable,” according to the DOT’s media release.

“It’s not hard to see that elevating the shopping experience will go a long way to enhance the attractiveness of our tourist destinations all over the Philippines, whether it is our big cities or in our beautiful provinces,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier said.

“We’ve recognized this in the National Tourism Development Plan of 2016-2022, where leisure, entertainment and shopping tourism is one of the 10 products we want to further develop in the next few years,” she added.