THE management of SM City Baguio had declared that they had put up safety measures so as to protect their tenants and mall goers amid the local government declaring an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis.

This was after the Baguio City Health Services Office listed 1,602 incident reports with 218 affected establishments and 80 affected households as of 10 January 2024.

The Baguio LGU said that to combat the outbreak, intensified measures including the conduct of massive testing of water sources including water delivery companies and deep wells are expected.

“SM City Baguio is taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of its stakeholders amid a possible health concern reported in areas even outside the mall,” SM said in a statement issued to the media.

They also said that they are working with the LGU to bring down risks.

“Collaborating with the local City Health Office, we are conducting periodic comprehensive water tests for the mall and among its tenants to promptly identify any potential risks,” they added.

As part of their measures, SM said that they are “working with our tenants to temporarily serve mineral or bottled water for everyone’s safety.”

Baguio City Police Office investigators were also tapped to assist the CHSO and Baguio Water District personnel in speeding up data gathering and water testing operations in the ongoing investigation to determine the root cause of the outbreak.