By Pat Jared V. Pangantihon
Correspondent
ONE week after the upgrade of the Cagayan de Oro City from Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine to the much stricter Enhanced Community Quarantine, large sections of a downtown mall are still off-limits, with stores remaining closed.
The economic impact to both the store proprietors and employees may get only worse if the current quarantine level will continue.
As previously reported by this paper, City Councilor George Goking was quoted as saying that 8,000 workers were laid off at the implementation of the ECQ on July 16, and would continue to be without work until July 31.
He was further quoted that only establishments offering basic necessities like pharmacies, banks, supermarkets, telecom shops, and hardware stores inside the malls were allowed to open.
This has resulted in most shops in the mall shuttering, most especially the cellphone sales, repair, and accessories stores, and popular clothing apparel shops. Foot traffic has also drastically decreased, with many customers opting for home deliveries because of the no dine-in regulation.
All photos by Pat Jared V. Pangantihon
