ANTIPOLO CITY- For allowing customers to mill about their stores in disregard for physical distancing, at least 38 business establishments in this city were closed by the city government since July 1.
In a post on Facebook, the office of Mayor Andrea Ynares said sari-sari stores, junk shops, mini groceries, and even talipa (mini wet market) were temporarily closed following complaints that minimum health protocols were not observed despite warnings.
Among the commercial stores closed since July 1 were rice stores, a battery shop, a metal frame works shop, an auto supply store, burger and steak house, poultry supply store, the wet market in Lores Subdivision in Barangay San Roque, and several variety stores located in the city proper and the lower Antipolo area.
City Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Casimiro ‘Junjun’ Ynares, III said the establishments can still operate once they have submitted a plan on how they can comply with protocols imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), particularly on how to ensure the safety of their staff and customers against the coronavirus disease.
As of July 3, nine new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the city, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 332.
Earlier, the New City Public Market of Antipolo had been locked down after several of its tenants and vendors tested positive for the virus.