CAVITE - Governor Jonvic Remulla issued on Friday an executive order suspending the operations of a mall in Trece Martires until further notice for not complying with the provincial government's quarantine pass policy to curb local transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Remulla said he ordered undercover police officers to inspect malls on July 22 and a video from the said operation showed the Trece Martires mall violating Cavite's "no quarantine pass, no entry" rule.
"Collective responsibility means if we arrest the small people in the streets for face mask violation or public intoxication, then we should also close down the big malls if they violate the Q-Pass Policy set by the LGU (local government unit)," Remulla said in a Facebook post.
"Guidelines are meant to put order into controlling the pandemic situation. For those who think that the worst is over, you are mistaken," he added.
Cavite continues to struggle to control the spread of the virus since more industries reopened under general community quarantine (GCQ).
From 355 positive cases on May 31, the province's COVID-19 count surged to 1,009 as of July 23.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in the province is attributed to residents returning to work in the National Capital Region (NCR).