I can't believe Columbia Center Mall has been closed since March 19th due to COVID-19 but the wait is finally over, the Columbia Center Mall reopens today at 11 AM.

According to Simon Properties, the mall owners, the mall will reopen today under the safety protocol guidelines that include a comprehensive COVID-19 Exposure Control Policy, developed in conjunction with a team of leading experts in the fields of Epidemiology and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), in order to deliver an elevated set of safety standards at the property.

Simpon Properties released a press statement talking about the reopening:

"The health, safety and well-being of the community we serve will always be our highest priority, and we have developed a thorough and detailed set of protocols highlighting the exceptional measures we’ve implemented for shoppers, retailers and employees as we reopen,” said Barbara Johnson, General Manager at Columbia Center. “We also recognize that individuals and families in our community are suffering significant hardship as a result of both COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, and we believe that reopening our property will not only help people get back to work during these challenging times, but also enable us to use our property to further support charitable initiatives."

There will be some new health and safety regulations in place, here is the guidelines in which the mall is operating:

Health & Safety

The property management team rigorously analyzed all aspects of the shopping experience and designed a complete set of safety protocols encompassing the following areas:

 

  • Enhanced sanitization and disinfecting using the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approved products with an emphasis on high-traffic locations such as dining areas, restrooms, escalators, stairs, directories, trash bins and door knobs.

 

  • Shopper safeguards that include making available protective masks, sanitizing wipes and temperature testing at entrances or property offices, as well as the encouragement of pre-visit health screenings to ensure shoppers stay home if they have exhibited COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms within 72 hours.

 

  • Hand sanitizing stations will be deployed throughout the property.

 

  • Signage promoting CDC guidelines for maintaining personal hygiene will be prominently displayed throughout the property.

 

  • Pre-emptive employee health screening to ensure that employees do not arrive at work within 72 hours of exhibiting COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms.

 

  • Employee safety protections including implementing the CDC’s COVID-19 frequent hand-washing protocols, and offering personal protective equipment in addition to other CDC recommended practices.

 

  • Promotion and enforcement of social distancing practices, including occupancy limitations, furniture and restroom spacing, closure of play areas and strollers, as well as coordinated traffic flow with traffic signage and distance markers.

In addition to reopening, Columbia Center has joined a national initiative to host food banks, clothing donations, COVID-19 mobile testing, and blood drives as part of an outreach to 1,300 health providers, government agencies, and non-profits.

Having the Columbia Center Mall open back up is another step in getting closer and closer to Phase 2 so that many other businesses can reopen as well - You can check the complete press release and details on how Simon Properties are managing the mall here.

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