Shoppers in Quezon City will be required to present their coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination cards if they want to access all shops and services in malls.

Unvaccinated persons will be allowed entry but only for essential purposes such as buying in grocery and medical and drug stores, and availing of government services.

“As we want to vaccinate more people, we also directed mall managements to gather and list down the name, contact number, and barangay of unvaccinated patrons and submit it to the city government so they can immediately be scheduled for vaccination,” QC Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement issued Sunday night.

Under the new guidelines for Alert Level 3 in the National Capital Region from October 16 to 31, Belmonte said business owners can expect surprise inspections to ensure that they comply with the safety seal standards, or adherence to minimum public health standards.

Belmonte said she has directed the city’s Department of Building Official (DBO) and Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD) to conduct surprise inspections on establishments.

Earlier, DBO head lawyer Dale Perral and BPLD chief Ma. Margarita Santos met with mall and cinema owners and administrators and discussed the provisions of the guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines developed the “Sa Sine Safe Ka” program to ensure that health and safety protocols are strictly implemented inside movie houses.

The program requires the installation of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning safety systems for movie houses; frequent cleaning and disinfection of the venues; and full vaccination of workers.

Patrons must also fill up contact tracing forms while bringing in of food and beverage is prohibited.

Aside from cinemas, venues for meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions; social events; tourist attractions like libraries, museums, amusement parks; and recreational venues such as internet cafes and amusement arcades may operate at a maximum of 30 percent indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated persons and 50 percent outdoor capacity for all, regardless of vaccination status.

An additional 10 percent will be allowed if the venues have been issued safety seals.

Establishments must also assign health safety officers to ensure that only fully vaccinated people are accommodated especially in confined spaces.

QC asked residents to report violations to hotline 122 or to QCitizen Watch at https://quezoncity.gov.ph/file-report. (PNA)