Izmir Scientific Committee Said 'Shopping Malls Should Not Be Opened'

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Science Board issued a statement on the opening of shopping centers on Monday, May 11, as the first step in the normalization process in the coronavirus outbreak. The Scientific Board said, “In conditions where public health is not yet established, huge closed areas such as shopping malls and areas with human circulation should not be opened when the epidemic is not fully controlled yet”.

The full text of the statement made by the Scientific Board is as follows: It is observed that the suggestions in the article “Measures to be Taken in the Workplace of COVID-9 Shopping Mall and Shopping Center dated 2020 May 19” of the Ministry of Health have not been sufficiently developed and the level of compliance with the rules and implementation of the recommendations has not been reached. We are concerned that it will not be enough to prevent contamination.

Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca's tweet on May 12, 2020 shows how right we are in this concern: 'Today, long queues in front of the shopping malls and piles of shopping malls have occurred. Social distance rule is mostly not followed. Even those who did not wear masks were encountered. Neither mask nor social distance is alone protective. The measures must be complete. The risk continues. Let's stay at home if we don't have to. '

Despite all these warnings, education, even if the target level has not been reached in terms of physical distance and wearing a mask, in shopping malls;

• Hanging a poster, having a hand antiseptic,
• Arranging the entrances and exits in a way that prevents contact with each other,
• It will take time for our people to adapt to a number of preventions and restrictions such as common use areas such as toilets, masjids, common use tools such as door handles, wheelchairs, and elevator use.

Again, TMMOB Chamber of Mechanical Engineers '' Internal air should not be used in any way during the pandemic. Therefore, it will take time to take the necessary measures such as the necessary modifications and the systems must be operated with 100% fresh air, and to check and verify their suitability.

Due to the continuity of the contagiousness of the most competent persons, the data obtained from the studies carried out on this issue and the fact that everyone wants to comply with the measures taken shows that huge closed areas such as shopping malls and areas with human circulation during the pandemic have not been fully controlled yet. It should be opened. "