Mall managements are urging the government to allow them to reopen by June 21.
Restrictions were eased on Monday after a strict 28-day lockdown. The government has said ‘essential services’ can resume, but malls and cinema halls do not fall into this category.
With widespread vaccination and stricter protocols, the crowds will come back, mall managements expect.
Nexus Malls owns three properties in Bengaluru — Forum in Koramangala, and Forum Neighbourhood Mall and Forum Shantiniketan in Whitefield.
Manoj Singh, cluster director, told Metrolife, “Almost 95 per cent of the staff in our Bengaluru malls have been vaccinated.” Families of retail staff above 18 will also be vaccinated, he says.
Last year, malls began regular sanitising of lift corners, escalator points and entrances. They marked out spaces to enforce social distancing, and marshals stood around to stop people from crowding. This year, in addition to these protocols, cameras at entrance and exit points will keep a ‘live count’ of people inside, as advised by the Shopping Centres Association of India, he explains.
“Our average is one person for 75 sq ft. The menu cards at our restaurants will be digitised. We have reduced our food court seating,” he says.
The malls will be sanitised every night. “Garments in a trial room will be kept away and will go back to the racks only after 24 hours,” he says. Isolation rooms with oxygen cylinders and concentrators are an additional pandemic safety measure. According to guidelines issued by The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, fresh air intake of 20 to 30 per cent is essential every hour.
“During fire emergencies, exhaust fans are used to run the air inside out, with fresh air coming in. This was practiced a couple of times in a day earlier but it will be done every hour now,” he says.
Najeeb Kunil, CEO, PPZ Mall Development and Management Services Co, says, “We have a protocol for medical emergencies updated according to Covid protocols.” His company runs Vega City Mall, Bannerghatta Road, and The Galleria Mall, Yelahanka. Najeeb says 90 per cent of the malls’ employees and shop owners have already been vaccinated.
“Last year, the crowds were hesitant to step into the malls. It was only by October that our footfalls picked up. This year we’re hoping to skip the initial few months of hesitancy,” he says.
Similar protocols are in place at the Orion Malls. Sunil Munshi, assistant vice president, operations, says, “We have vaccinated our employees and retailers. Those out of town will be vaccinated once they are back.” Only those who have received the first dose of the vaccine will be allowed to return to work, he says.
‘Ready to open fully’
Mall owners say they can resume full operations with a notice of just 48 hours. “Last year, malls were allowed to open in June, F&B in September and gaming and cinemas in October. We hope this time, everything will be functional within six to eight weeks,” a mall owner says. If strict procedures are in place, reopening can happen at one go, and need not be staggered, another owner told Metrolife.
‘People feel secure inside malls’
Mukesh Kumar, chairman, Shopping Centres Association of India, says shoppers are ready to return. Fourteen malls in Bengaluru are among its members. “People feel secure inside malls. This has been noticed with people coming back to malls as they reopened in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Telangana in the last few weeks,” Mukesh, CEO of Infiniti Malls, says.
Some shops closed
About six to eight per cent of retailers in malls have dropped out. But no mall has closed down, according to trade insiders.
What does BBMP say?
A senior official in the BBMP says there is no clarity yet about the reopening of malls. “It will take some time to come to a decision about when and how to allow them to resume business,” he told Metrolife.
New at the malls
- Vaccination for all mall and retail staff
- More frequent air cleaning
- Cameras to keep live count of people inside