Cape Cod Mall Reopens With Safety Measures

HYANNIS, MA — The Cape Cod Mall and other Simon malls throughout the state reopened Tuesday. Simon malls had been closed since March 19 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The mall opened with several safety restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A spokesperson for Simon said the policies were developed by a team of epidemiology, environmental health and safety experts.

The mall will also team with local nonprofits for support aimed at helping people experiencing hardships during the pandemic. Simon has launched 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.

"The health, safety and well-being of those 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 to safeguard shoppers, retailers and employees as we reopen," said John Rulli, president of Simon. "We also recognize that individuals and families in our communities are suffering significant hardship as a result of both COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, and we believe that reopening our properties will not only help people get back to work during these challenging times, but also enable us to use our properties to further support charitable initiatives.""

See a list of initiatives Simon took to lessen the spread of COVID-19:

• 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 properties.

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