North GA Outlets Reopen Friday, Other Malls Delay Opening

DAWSONVILLE, GA — On Friday, Simon Properties has altered its decision to open most of its malls this weekend, including several in Georgia.

On Tuesday, Simon Properties said it planned on reopening its seven Georgia malls Friday and unshutter 42 other shopping centers nationwide over the weekend.

But on Friday, the business announced most of the openings will be delayed until Monday. Two Georgia locations will open Friday, including the Calhoun Outlet Marketplace and North Georgia Premium Outlets, the AJC reported.

The other Simon locations in Georgia which will remain closed, include Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza in Buckhead, Mall of Georgia in Buford, Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville and Town Center at Cobb in Kennesaw. All Simon malls have been closed since March 18.

While the malls will be back in business soon, it won't quite be business as usual. Hours will be limited to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday to accommodate cleaning, according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC. The company also will regularly sanitize food-court tables, escalators, door knobs and electronic directories. Customers can have their temperatures taken free of charge at the malls, using infrared thermometers.

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In addition, free CDC-approved masks and packets of hand sanitizer will be made available to customers. While Simon will only encourage shoppers to wear face masks, it will require its employees to do so.

Social distancing will be encouraged by taping off every other sink and urinal in restrooms, limiting food-court seating and directing traffic with floor decals. Also, the number of mall entrances will be limited, and occupancy will be restricted to one person per 50 square feet by what the memo refers to as "traffic measuring technology."

Other malls around Georgia will open on Tuesday, including Perimeter, North Point and Cumberland, the AJC reported.

More malls will open Friday, including:

• Arbor Place Mall, Douglasville: Opens 11 a.m. Friday
• Southlake Mall, Morrow: Opens 11 a.m. Friday
• The Forum on Peachtree Parkway: Opens 10 a.m. Friday
• The Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta, Woodstock: Opens 11 a.m. Friday
• The Avenue at West Cobb: Opens 11 a.m. Friday
• The Avenue at East Cobb: Opens 11 a.m. Friday
• The Avenue Peachtree City: Opens 11 a.m. Friday

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• Arbor Place Reopens Friday With Coronavirus Safety Measures
• Macy's Plans To Reopen GA Stores Monday, All Stores In 6 Weeks