Ever since the quarantine began, malls were shut down and closed to the public. These leisure areas are considered social institutions that prove integral to the Filipino culture, where citizens would pay a visit to buy essentials, eat Sunday lunches with family, or even walk to simply cool off from a warm day.
Due to public fears of contracting the virus, malls’ normally crowded corridors are now quiet and empty hallways.
People were pushed to stay at home during the lockdown. With dining out for lunch and window shopping forming their weekend routine prior to the pandemic, these are now replaced by video calls and online shopping. However, as quarantine restrictions were slowly lifted, people have begun gradually returning back to malls while abiding by health and safety protocols.
Although the cries for support in reopening public institutions have been voiced out by both the private and commercial sector, government action was deemed insufficient and has left Filipinos wanting more.
People and businesses choose to remain very cautious, resulting in virtually empty malls amid establishments’ open doors.
Jobs have been decimated since the start of the pandemic, but for the few who have been spared, the fight goes on. It was not the same world they left when the global crisis started, but they continue to persevere. Customers have dwindled from the restrictions on service and the fear of the virus, leaving sales and revenue to plummet.
Fully stocked shelves and empty halls have left cash registers empty. Although shops have opened, it is far from what business owners were used to before the pandemic. It is “business as usual” as the malls advertised, but shop owners bear witness to a different reality.
Despite the personal challenges and economic turbulence in the COVID-19 pandemic, many Filipinos have accepted the reality with a non-distinguishable fire and the will to move forward.
As the pandemic continues to force everyone to adjust and adapt during these uncertain times, mall-goers, employees, and ordinary citizens soldier on and do their best to operate business as usual.