Not the usual spring break at malls
Some stores limit hours, others suspend operations
“We will continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation and adjust as necessary or as mandated by governmental officials.”
A typical spring break at the mall it’s not.
Hamilton Place and Northgate malls in Chattanooga were open for business on Tuesday, though the number of shoppers was visibly off as some shops were closed or operating fewer hours in the wake of the coronavirus.
Belk, which is one of the anchor tenants at both of Chattanooga’s malls, announced Tuesday it would close all of its stores through March 30 “based on the guidance issued
– STACEY KEATING OF CBL PROPERTIES, OWNER OF HAMILTON PLACE AND NORTHGATE MALLS
by the CDC regarding large gatherings and for the safety of our communities.” Dillard’s and JCPenney remained open Tuesday and the restaurants in the food court were serving their usual fare.
But some popular retailers including Bath and Body, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Hot Topic, J. Crew Factory, and Yankee Candle were closed.
A spokeswoman for CBL Properties, which operates the malls, said its hours for the centers remain unchanged while some businesses are following corporate guidelines to temporarily close or operate modified hours.
“We will continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation and adjust as necessary or as mandated by governmental officials,” said Stacey Keating, CBL’s senior director of public relations and corporate communications.
Among preventative measures CBL has put into place are closing its
children’s play area at both malls, and it has requested that food court tenants at Hamilton Place discontinue the use of trays in that area, she said.
Also, based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control regarding public meetings and events, and out of an abundance of caution, CBL has canceled or postponed all mall events, including its Easter photo program, the company said.
Hafsa Wasim, who was operating a Beauty Xpress kiosk at Hamilton Place, said business was way off.
“You can see there are no people,” she said.
Her sister, Wajiha, said some people are “really scared right now.”
“They don’t like to go out,” she said.
But Heather Stanton of Whitfield County, Georgia, was at the mall with her two children. The schools were closed and one of her children had a doctor’s appointment in Chattanooga so they decided to spend some time at the mall.
She said she wasn’t worried about the virus.
“I don’t have a concern,” Stanton said. “If it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.”
Jeremy Fritts of Chattanooga was picking up some food at the Chick-fil-A at Northgate Mall. He said he, too, wasn’t worried, calling the reaction to the coronavirus a result of “the liberal media.”
Fritts said flu deaths far outnumber those caused by the coronavirus.
A number of stores were opening at 11 a.m or even at noon. Belk at Hamilton Place was temporarily operating from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
JCPenney was operating at Hamilton Place from noon to 7 p.m daily.
At Visionworks, a sign at the entrance asked people not to proceed inside until they were assessed if they had visited China, South Korea, Japan, Iran or Italy over the past 30 days, or if they had a temperature of more than 100 degrees, a cough, upset stomach, respiratory problems or been in contact with the virus.
Sunglass Hut was open reduced hours, from noon to 6 p.m., a sign at the entrance said.
Outside Abercrombie & Fitch, a sign read “we’re all in this together” and it was closed.
BoxLunch said it was closed until March 30.
At Northgate Mall, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance office also was closed until March 31.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.