While malls have opened in most states from June 8 onwards, Maharashtra is yet to take a decision.
On July 6, the state allowed hotels to reopen, with one-third operational capacity. Mall owners are now pinning hopes that this move to be extended to malls as well.
The Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) has urged the Maharashtra government to consider reopening malls. COVID-19 has hit malls and the retail industry severely.
But how well are malls prepared for a reopening before Unlock 3.0? Unlock 3.0, after a long spell of national lockdown, is expected in the next few weeks.
The Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) has written to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray urging him and the State Government to take concrete steps in the urgent opening of malls in the state.
Maharashtra has more than 75 malls, with almost 50 percent spread across Mumbai MMR, Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai Dombivli, etc.
Similarly, Pune has more than 20 percent malls while the rest are spread across Amravati, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nasik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, etc.
Though the SCAI has laid out Standard Operating Procedures, malls, on their own, are also taking additional precautions. Sanitising tunnels, unidirectional movement of customers and appointment-based visits are some of them.
“Customer safety is paramount to us and we have focussed SoPs around that. We believe that there will be good results, if customers find malls optimally hygienic, safe, and adhering to social-distancing norms,” explains Amitabh Taneja, Chairman, SCAI.
The SCAI has over 75 member-malls in Maharashtra, with more than 50 percent in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Of the remaining, 20 percent are in Pune and the rest are scattered across other cities. Thirty new memberships are currently on hold.
To begin with, malls plan to start operations in phases – with a day’s business not exceeding about 9-10 hours -- based on government guidelines.
According to Rajendra Kalkar, President, West, The Phoenix Mills Ltd, “We are working with partners for contactless payments. At a mall, payments take place mainly at the retailer end, at parking lots and at service booths. All of them are completely touch-free.”
That’s not all. “We will be putting up barcodes of restaurant menus at various places inside the malls, so that customers can scan them as they move through the mall, book their orders and pick them up as they leave,” he said.
Sanitisation activities are now happening at an increased frequency as per a revised schedule. Mall owners have conducted multiple training sessions for all retail staff – permanent as well as temporary.
Sanitisation tunnels and unidirectional movement
“We have installed sanitising tunnels at various entrances for the customers and the staff, respectively,” said Manoj K. Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Viviana Mall.
These tunnels would spray an US Environment Protection Agency (EPA)-approved chemical as a fine mist below the shoulder level. The mall is also planning a unidirectional movement of customers – with the help of floor markers and signage -- in common areas, and contactless billing in retail stores.
Usage of alternate urinals and washbasins, and sensor-based taps and soap dispensers are the other measures. Only a certain number of customers, based on the size of individual retail stores, will be allowed in.
Besides, children up to 10 years of age and senior citizens above 60 years will initially be asked to not visit the mall. Many other precautionary methods like touchless sanitiser dispensers, queueing up with social distancing at all stores, and UV-enabled baggage scanners are already in place.
Aarogya Setu a must for entry
Seating arrangements on food courts have been rearranged to maintain physical distancing. Most mall owners said visitors and staff must have Aarogya Setu App installed on their mobiles with location and blue tooth services should be always on and must display the green indicator.
If the app is not installed, a QR-based download mechanism has been set up. Malls will also check body temperature and oxygen levels at entry points. Some malls are opening counters selling masks at entrance points.
Restriction on number of customers
Certain malls say they will introduce a norm whereby only a limited number of customers will be allowed to enter the stores based on the store size, keeping a distance of about 250 sq ft of carpet area per person.
This area will be determined, keeping in mind the display racks, gondolas, billing counters, installations, changing rooms and storage space in mind.
Since air-conditioning inside malls is an area of concern, some malls have installed UVGI (Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation) AHU (Air Handling Unit) to keep coils and the air passing through them clean and disinfected, thereby blowing in air of breathable quality.
Korum Mall in Thane has a system of ‘appointment-based’ visits. It requires pre-registering with the mall, which helps them track footfall and maintain optimum number of customers at any given point of time.
“A contactless interface is in place for food and beverage partners like restaurants and food courts, where a customer can scan a QR code to avail offers and discounts, besides making payments. Pre-ordering food from food courts while shopping or watching a movie is also possible. We plan to have dedicated shopping hours for pregnant women and senior citizens,” a Korum spokesperson said.
Korum Mall has partnered with Jupiter Hospital for COVID-19 awareness sessions.
SCAI Chairman Taneja sums it up. “All social media platforms and media channels are being utilised to spread awareness around hygiene measures. Medical staff is also deputed to ensure safety to customers.”
Currently, malls are operational in major Metros and Tier-I cities. Cities which have opened malls include Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and small but populous cities such as Agartala, Bhopal, Siliguri, Raiganj, Indore, and, more recently, Cuttack, to name a few.
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