Starbucks Philippines halts operations in Luzon stores

Starbucks Philippines on Tuesday announced that it is has "temporarily paused" its operations in its Luzon-based stores, effective March 17,2020.

This is in line with the government’s implementation of the enhanced Luzon community quarantine, which took effect midnight of Tuesday.

“In light of the government's decision to implement the enhanced Luzon-wide community quarantine that will start March 17, 2020, we have made a decision to temporarily pause operations in our Luzon based stores to support the health and well-being of our partners (employees),  and the communities we are part of,” it announced on its Facebook page.

However, Starbucks stores in Visayas and Mindanao will continue to operate.

“Rest assured our stores in Visayas and Mindanao will continue to serve the communities with their favorite handcrafted beverages. We look forward to serving everyone as soon as possible. For now, let us all keep safe and healthy,” it said.

READ: What shops will remain open during enhanced community quarantine

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Philippines has reported 142 cases, including 12 deaths, as of Monday.

Under this condition, strict home quarantine will be implemented in all households, transportation will be suspended, provision for food and essential health services will be regulated and the presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine procedures will be heightened.

—Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/JCB, GMA News