It is all over the news: Metro Manila and some parts of the Philippines are gearing up to enter what has been called the 'new normal.'

As areas in the country shift to a more relaxed alert level, more and more kids are requesting their parents to go out. It has been almost two years since the health crisis started and there is no denying that strict community restrictions made them miss going out.

Now, kids are finally allowed to go to the malls. But the health crisis is not yet completely over and parents cannot help but worry about their kids' safety when leaving the safety of their homes.

Moms and dads, do not worry because Squad Santi is on duty.

Aimed at making malling a safe and memorable experience for kids, SM Supermalls is expanding Squad Santi – the friendly, robo-heroes that came down to Earth to make sure that every SuperKid is safe. These robots were first deployed last year in SM Megamall and SM Aura Premier.

Squad Santi is the newest addition to SM Supermalls' Disinfection Team – a unit that aims to make its malls a safe go-to mall for all types of needs, one sanitation at a time. Every Squad Santi member is equipped with an FDA-approved disinfectant that promises to kill 99.9% of microorganisms within seconds. The mist it releases is 100% all-natural, hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and non-corrosive so parents do not have to worry about it getting near their child.

''Parents are especially delighted that their kids can now go back to the activities they once loved. But of course, who would not worry about their safety, right? So, we have assembled and deployed our Squad Santi to make sure that our SM malls are safe and clean for our kiddie shoppers,'' said SM Supermalls President Steven Tan.

Apart from its sanitizing capabilities, Squad Santi is also armed with HD cameras for face recognition, a touch-screen, and a microphone to greet the kids, adding fun to their #SafeMallingAtSM experience. Kiddie shoppers can look forward to seeing Squad Santi at SM Mall of Asia, SM City Clark, SM City Fairview, SM City North EDSA, and SM Southmall.

''We are so excited to welcome the kids back to our malls. We are here to make sure that they get to enjoy shopping, dining, and hanging out with their families and friends safely and conveniently through programs like deploying Squad Santi. But more importantly, our vaccination efforts for the kids aged 5 to 11 and 12 to 17 are still ongoing to help provide them with an added layer of protection,'' said SM Supermalls Senior Vice President for Marketing Joaquin San Agustin.

To date, SM has administered over nine million jabs, currently on record as the most number of Filipinos vaccinated by a single company in the private sector, under its multi-mall vaccination program. It continues to provide not only a #SafeMalling experience to kids but also a venue where they can get vaccinated.

For more information on SM Supermalls' #KidsVaxxatSM vaccination schedules and the #SafeMallingWithSANTI program, visit its website or check out SM Malls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.