MANILA, Philippines—Even the shopping mall giants have waded into the fight against the dreaded A(H1N1) flu virus.

Schools and colleges, as well as government and private offices, have joined forces to fight off the threats from a disease that has killed at least 91 people and sickened more than 12,500 others in 46 countries around the world, including the United States.

Not taking anything for granted, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus Monday urged students who had just returned from abroad, or were coming home from abroad, to go on self-quarantine for 10 days before going back to school with the reopening of classes this June.

The country’s three largest shopping mall chains—the SM Mall empire, the Ayala Malls and the Gokongweis’ Robinsons—said they were taking active measures to protect the health of consumers and mall goers, and to prevent any outbreak of the swine flu virus in the country.

So far, only two swine flu cases have been detected in the Philippines. Both cases—a 10-year-old girl who had returned from the United States and a 50-year-old Chicago-based Filipino woman who recently arrived for a visit—appear to have fully recovered and no longer show symptoms of the disease, health officials said.

“We are one with the community, with the Philippines and with the rest of world in our concern (over) swine flu,” said Annie Garcia, president of Shopping Center Management Corp., which is part of the SM Mall group.

Garcia said the SM group had already issued a lot of advisory in line with the information campaigns of the Department of Health (DoH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“In addition, we’re in the process of installing alcohol dispensers in our comfort rooms,” she said.

Elevators disinfected

Garcia said the SM group had also stepped up the disinfection of elevators, floors and especially hand railings of escalators in its shopping malls.

And because the virus is air-borne, she said the SM group would increase air volume in its malls to allow more fresh air to come in. She said the spread of the virus could be prevented with better air circulation.

Garcia spoke at the opening in SM City North Edsa of the Sky Garden, an elevated curvilinear park with a 400-meter canopied walkway cutting across manicured lawns, ponds, trees, 33 new retail outlets and a performance area called the Sky Dome.

In the case of Robinsons Land Corp., a company statement said it was discouraging employees with symptoms of fever, flu, cough and colds from reporting to work.

According to the company, all Robinsons malls have back offices where employees are stationed and these employees have to secure clearance from a doctor to be allowed to go back to work.

“Proper hygiene, like regular hand washing especially after shaking hands with other people and covering your mouth and nose when sneezing, are also enforced in these offices,” it said.