Malls set to reopen today
Prince Edward Island malls will reopen today after shutting their doors two months ago in response to the coronavirus.
Peter Norton, owner of Nortons Jewellers, is eager to see the Shops of Confederation Court Mall open today.
"We look forward to seeing all of our friends and clients once again," he said.
Nortons Jewellers has been in business for 45 years. It moved into the Confederation Court mall in 1981. Norton said the store closed on March 17.
"It'll be nice to have everyone back at work, and I think our team is looking forward to being back at work," he said.
"We're very lucky to be able to (reopen) because we have COVID-19 under control on Prince Edward Island.”
Reopening also means the store has to adopt practices to keep staff and customers safe. These include social distancing as well as disinfecting the store before it opens each day.
Staff will also disinfect items after someone tries jewelry on. Anything dropped off for repair will be left for a minimum of 72 hours before a staff member works on it.
The reopening of malls is part of the province's phase two of its Renew P.E.I. Together plan. Besides retail outlets, other businesses that can reopen under Phase 2 include barber shops and hairdressers, greenhouses, car washes and bottle depots.
According to the Shops of Confedration Court Mall's website, its hours of operation will be Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays.
Access to the mall will be limited to entrances on Grafton Street, Great George Street and Kent Street while store fronts along the streets will still be available to the public.
Summerside’s County Fair Mall is open to the public with altered hours. During the closures earlier in the pandemic, part of the building remained open for access to the doctors’ offices located in the building as well as the pharmacy located in Lawtons Drugs and other businesses deemed essential. New hours of operation for the mall are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Gloves and masks packaged will be available to customers. They will be located inside the admin office doors.
A representative for the Charlottetown Mall couldn't be reached for comment on Thursday about reopening plans.