Mall operator’s association urges members to ‘strictly comply’ with COVID-19 protocol
The Puerto Rican Shopping Centers Association called on its 46 member malls to continue to be “very strict” about enforcing protocols to prevent COVID-19 contagion following a spike in cases.
“In recent days the Health Department has reported a significant increase in the number of infections,” said Adolfo “Tito” González, presidente of the trade group and of Empresas Caparra, parent company of San Patricio Plaza.
“The shopping center industry has before it the great responsibility of ensuring that all measures are fully complied with, since we receive thousands of visitors daily and we want the entire process to continue as before, without any incident after more than a month since our reopening,” he said.
Among the prevention measures and protocols are the mandatory use of face masks at all times, walking on the right side of the corridors to avoid face-to-face contact, social distancing in stores, common and food service areas, and use of hand disinfectant, among others. Each establishment also has its individual protocols in place, he said.
“Although we still can’t say that we have normal traffic, we’ve been able to see that as the weeks go by, the number of visits increases, making it evident that shopping malls are vital within the communities they serve,” González said.
“It’s for this same reason that we must continue our mission to deal with this emergency in a constant, strict and responsible manner, always counting on the cooperation of our visitors,” he said.
