RETAIL property group, SA Corporate, which owns local malls Davenport Square and Musgrave Centre, has reassured shoppers that everything possible is being done to ensure their safety during the implementation of preventative measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Mark MacKaiser, Retail Asset Manager, said that as shopping malls provide essential services such as banking and postal services as well as sold important goods such as food and medicines, it was imperative that they remained open and that customers knew that their health and welfare was a top priority.
To ensure that people could continue with their day-to-day activities and shop, he said that SA Corporate Real Estate had put in place a stringent Coronavirus Action Plan across its portfolio of shopping centres throughout the country.
“Malls have doubled their efforts when it comes to hygiene control. All escalators, elevators, railings and parking payment equipment are being wiped more frequently. Toilets and other common areas are disinfected more often during the day. Our cleaning companies have changed their consumable items and are using stronger and more effective detergents and sanitizers as well,” he said.
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The Corona Action Plan includes the placing of hand sanitizers in strategic common areas in centres and the briefing of tenants, working with them to ensure that they too implement solutions to ensure shoppers’ peace of mind.
MacKaiser said malls were aware of their duty of responsibility to their staff and the staff of their tenants. Already, many major retailers were providing hand sanitizers at the entrances to their stores and ensuring that their staff used gloves when dealing with customers.
He urged customers to make use of sanitizers and to ensure that the handles of trolleys and baskets were cleaned prior to use. In addition to using hand sanitizers, he also advised customers to continue to regularly wash their hands during and after their visits to malls.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are following official guidance from the Department of Health. Security is also on high alert. We are in constant contact with all of our tenants and service providers to all our malls throughout the country so that we can work together proactively to ensure that people can still get their daily necessities as easily as possible,” MacKaiser added.
He said that all malls would have signage in place informing shoppers of preventative tips and precautions. This signage is located in strategic areas in centres, including washrooms and elevators, entrances as well as on TV screens in certain malls.
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