DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez urged supermarket operators Wednesday to extend operating hours to give the public more time to buy food and other goods as Luzon remained under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shortened operating hours of some supermarkets lead to the crowding of buyers, Lopez said. The government is requiring physical distancing to stop the spread of the disease.
āāPag iniklian ang store hours nagkukumpol ang mga tao kasi konti na lang ang window hours nila para mamili kaya importante na…mas mahabang oras lang sa pamimili para ādi maipon ang tao,ā he said in a virtual press briefing.
Lopez said he recommended the longer grocery hours to the government inter-agency task force on COVID-19.
Last week, the Department of the Interior and Local Government also urged local government units to lift policies on window hours for market and grocery trips since it tends to gather more people at the same time.(ABS-CBN News)
