OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Crossgates Mall reopens with altered look amid panedmic
— Albany County Executive Dan McCoy
ALBANY, N.Y. » At first glance, there’s a sense of normalcy. Certain parking lots which were empty for months, now filled with vehicles at Crossgates Mall. Yet, as the mall reopened Friday, there were stark reminders of the reality that the COVID-19 pandemic still exists.
Mall patrons milling about were greeted with signs requiring masks upon entry, along with where they could enter and exit.
Capital Region malls were given the go-ahead to reopen Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, provided building air filtration systems reach at least a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 11 or higher. Malls that are more than 800,000 square feet will need at least MERV-13.
The maximum capacity is limited to 50% within stores and the main areas. Food court seating and other common seating areas are closed, but take- out and delivery will still be available. Health screenings are required for all employees but not customers.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy applauded the move by the governor and spoke to what it means for the local economy.
“The reopening of malls in the Capital Region is a huge victory for the hundreds of business owners and thousands of jobs that they represent here in Al
"The reopening of malls in the Capital Region is a huge victory for the hundreds of business owners and thousands of jobs that they represent here in Albany County."
bany County. Crossgates Mall alone holds over 2,500 jobs,” McCoy stated.
“While I had called for malls to reopen in Phase 3 after they developed comprehensive social distancing and disinfecting plans to keep customers safe, this is still an important step in getting more people back to work and addressing our budget deficit,” McCoy added.
In addition to the aforementioned requirements, Crossgates introduced its “Healthy Shopper Guidelines” with Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations everyone must follow prior to entry. Crossgates will operate under modified hours of operation, Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Additionally, some venues, including restaurants may have different operating hours.
“Our preparations over the past three months have truly put the safety and well- being of our guests, tenants, and employees first,” Aiden McGuire, director of corporate communications, Pyramid Management Group stated.
“We are excited to welcome guests back safely and responsibly with enhancements to our safety and sanitizing policies and procedures, along with Healthy Shopper Guidelines all visitors must follow prior to visiting the property. Together, we can all do our part to put safety first,” Mc
Guire added.
The new policies and procedures include:
• Face Mask Requirement: Everyone visiting Crossgates will be required to wear a face mask before entering, in accordance with New York State and CDC guidelines.
• Social Distancing: All guests will be reminded to maintain social distancing and stay 6-feet apart with visual reminders placed throughout the center, along with new one-way directional signage to avoid contact with other guests.
• Enhanced Cleaning and Sanitizing: Crossgates has enhanced its cleaning and sanitizing of the common areas and numerous touch points, restrooms, seating areas, and food court. This includes using CDC-recommended disinfectants designated as effective against SARS- CoV-2 virus in accordance with or exceeding CDC sanitation guidelines.
• Enhancements to Air Circulation and Filtration: Enhancements have been made to increase air circulation, air filtration and fresh air intake to bolster the quality of air within the center – all meeting New York State standards.
• Proactive Touchless Disinfecting: Crossgates cleaning team will be utilizing new electrostatic sprayers, leveraging the same technology used to clean hospital rooms to sanitize its center using an approved disinfectant recommended by the CDC.
• Hand Sanitizer Stations: New hand sanitizer stations will be available at:
• Digital directories throughout the property
• Food court areas
• Elevators and escalators
• Throughout the common area
• Curbside Pickup: Guests are encouraged to take advantage of our additional parking spaces at various center entrances designated for curbside pickup from your favorite brands, such as Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
• Daily Health Screenings for Crossgates employees, security personnel, housekeeping employees and all contractors returning
In addition, Crossgates laid out its “Healthy Shopper Guidelines” with CDC recommendations that everyone must follow before entering the property.
Those guidelines include:
1. Stay home if you are sick.
2. Do not enter this building if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you have been
in close contact with anyone diagnosed or displaying symptoms.
3. Report COVID- 19 symptoms to your doctor and employer.
4. Everyone must cover their nose and mouth with a face covering.
5. Properly store and, when necessary, discard Personal Protection Equipment.
6. Follow appropriate respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
7. Refrain from touching your nose, mouth and eyes.
8. Follow hand hygiene and cleaning and disinfection guidelines.
9. Use hand sanitizer stations located throughout the property.
10. Keep a safe distance from other people, a minimum of 6 feet.
11. Stay to the right and follow the one-way traffic arrows throughout the property.
12. Wash your hands with soap and warm water frequently and for at least
20 seconds.
13. Avoid touching products you do not intend to purchase.
The reopening comes as Albany County reported eight new positive COVID-19 cases Friday.
As of Friday, there have been 1,973 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. Additionally, there are 298 people under mandatory quarantine. The five- day average for new daily positive cases is now 5.8, down from 6.6 Thursday. Presently there are 49 active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, 5,968 people have completed quarantine, with 1,924 of them having tested positive and recovered.
Currently, there are three people hospitalized and the hospitalization rate stands at 0.15%.