35 SM branches nationwide join hand-washing demo

CEBU, Philippines - SM City-Cebu, in serving as an information gateway here in the Visayas, joins SM Supermalls in the drive against the further spread of the dreaded influenza A(H1N1) virus considering that an average of 2.8 million shoppers come to SM and its branches everyday aside from its 12,000 tenants and 25,000 employees.

All the 35 SM Supermalls in the country did a simultaneous hand washing activity yesterday at 2 p.m. with students from various schools as participants, together with representatives from the Departments of Health and Education, and with the assistance of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines in order to send a strong message to shoppers that proper and regular hand washing with soap helps prevent illnesses.

Mary Belle Chua, brand manager for SM City-Cebu, said that they wish to be an information gateway for the public to know more on how they could prevent community outbreak of the A(H1N1) that has already infected a number of people here including the three Maritime students, recently, and placed in quarantine 597 others.

She said that the challenges which come with the campaign - from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome scare to the Avian Influenza (bird flu) in the past years - have already been taken as part of the mall and its branches’ corporate social responsibility.

Aside from a seminar on the A(H1N1) virus conducted by the DOH that SM City organized for its employees, tenants and affiliates, Chua said that they have increased frequent cleaning up of their malls and have provided sufficient control supplies like alcohol and sanitizers in the malls’ restrooms.

Further, Chua said that in addition to their pandemic preparedness plan, they have ordered increased cleanups of their airconditioner filters as well as instructed their mall clinics to accommodate employees and their customers.

Dr. Cora Lou Kintanar, DOH spokesperson, said that they commended SM City-Cebu and the management of SM Supermalls for their efforts in preventing further spread of the virus.

Joy Augustus Young, city consultant on education, also graced the event on behalf of the DepEd. — AJ de la Torre/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)