Malls across the state are all set to reopen from August 5, but it’s no more shop till you drop in the ‘new normal” environment. As patrons will once again go shopping to their favourite malls, mall owners are installing various safety measures. The malls have assured to maintain contactless facilities to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Besides maintaining hygiene and frequent cleaning of elevators, washrooms etc.
The Phoenix mall at Lower Parel has various checkpoints which will provide real time customers density count to ensure crowd management. Further, the mall has a UV scanner at entry to disinfect bags and UV box to disinfect bags. Not to forget the contactless parking and payment facility. The air condition temperature will be at 25 degree and visitors will need to have the Arogya Setu app for entry. Rashmi Sen, Chief Operating Officer Malls - The Phoenix Mills Limited said, “The decision to reopen malls will give a much-needed boost to the retail industry in Maharashtra. This is a positive step towards ensuring that India’s consumption story is rekindled. We have incorporated the highest quality SOPs to ensure the safety of our customers, retail partners and employees across our properties. We are excited and prepared to host our guests with the new safe shopping experience."
The Viviana Mall at Thane is providing pre-booking options for customers for better crowd management. Children below 10 years and senior citizens are advised not to visit malls. Manoj K. Agarwal, CEO of Viviana Mall said, “We are faced with an unprecedented time. Viviana Mall has adopted multiple measures in order to put all the sanitization and social distancing norms in place to make the mall a safe place for the patrons."
Meanwhile several citizens also projected Malls -- as a safer place to shop as compared to local markets, which is usually found to be crowded. Lavanya Shinde, a citizen said, "Malls would be a better and safer place for shopping unlike the local market. They are implementing various measures to maintain social distancing.”
Sudip Sharma, another local said, “Several people are employed in malls. The state government has made a good decision. It will not just provide a safe shopping experience but also secure jobs of thousands of people."
