With new guidelines in place, malls set to reopen today

Malls will regularly clean and disinfect the premises. (R) Escalators will have one person on a step with a gap of two to three steps. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

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Following the government’s nod, malls are getting ready to reopen from Monday with stringent safety measures in place as the “new normal”.

Besides temperature checks and sanitisers on entry, visitors and staff are required to wear masks, while some of them have also made the Aarogya Setu app compulsory. The malls will constantly remind visitors about social-distancing rules.

The Shopping Centre Association of India has issued standard operating procedures (SoPs), which limits mall density to one person per 75 square feet. Only 50% of the staff will be allowed to work.

Phoenix Marketcity will regulate the number of people entering and exiting its premises, while DLF Malls will work between 12 pm and 9 pm. DLF Malls will also roll out its 'Lukout App' to provide real-time foot traffic.

In Koramangala’s Forum Mall, hygiene marshals will disperse crowds, while customers must make slot bookings at Brigade Orion Malls and Vega City Mall. Masks will be sold at the entrance of Gopalan Malls, among others.

Trial rooms will also be discouraged in the malls. At Forum Mall, clothes once tried will be steam cleaned before returning to the shelves.

Promotional activities will be banned in common areas and seating will be reserved for senior citizens. Malls will also regularly clean and disinfect railings, doorknobs, escalator belts and elevator buttons. The air conditioning system will undergo regular sanitisation.

Gajendra Singh Rathore, senior centre director at Phoenix Marketcity, said people must enter the mall through sanitisation tunnels and bags will be put through UV scanners. Just four people will be allowed inside the elevators, while escalators will have one person in a step with a gap of two to three steps.

Similarly, restroom occupancy will be regulated to ensure the distance between users. Food courts will function contactless with digital transactions that will also extend to the parking lots. Over the past few days, the managements have trained their staffers in public health and hygiene measures.

But according to Suresh Singaravelu, executive director, Forum Mall, operating at half the capacity will not be viable in the long run. “If people categorically refuse to follow the rules, we will have no choice but to deny entry or ask them to leave,” he added.