Several Ayala Malls will have thermal scanners to check temperatures of mall goers as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic persists.
In a statement on Tuesday, the mall network led by Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) said it bought thermal scanners to limit contact between staff and visitors in doing temperature checks.
The machines are similar to what is used in international airports to trace body temperatures of a crowd at the same time.
“Our customer’s health and safety are our priority, and we have really put many protocols in place to welcome everyone back to Ayala Malls,” Ayala Malls President Jenylle Tupaz said in the statement.
“We are investing in the best technology and we are proactive in training our staff, along with providing guidelines for our merchants to provide a safe environment for everyone in our malls,” she added.
The company said the thermal scanners are fully automated and have a 99% accuracy in detecting body temperatures. The machines can also detect pickpockets and shoplifters through facial recognition once programmed to identify certain individuals.
The thermal scanners will be mounted in mall entrances that are most used by mall goers. Malls that are included are Glorietta, Greenbelt, Market! Market!, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Central Bloc, Abreeza, Centrio, Trinoma, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, UP Town Center, Ayala Malls Feliz and Ayala Malls Fairview.
After closing all its malls since mid-March when Luzon was placed under strict quarantine, Ayala Malls started opening its network this month following government protocols for the relaxed lockdown.
ALI’s mall network contributed P4.65 billion in revenues in the first quarter, 9% lower from last year due to waived rent for non-operational tenants. Total revenues fell 28% to P28.4 billion while net income dropped 41% to P4.32 billion.
Shares in ALI at the stock exchange shed P1 or 3.24% to close at P29.90 each on Tuesday. — Denise A. Valdez
