THUNDER BAY — Intercity Shopping Centre will reopen its doors to the public on Friday, with modified operating hours.
It will be a gradual reopening, as not all the stores in the mall will be ready at the same time.
A spokesperson for the shopping centre says some businesses still need to arrange to get their staff in to make preparations, but they will open as soon as they can.
The Ontario government announced Monday that shopping malls would be allowed to reopen in most regions Friday, with proper health and safety measures in place.
"We were very excited to get the news," said Shannon Young, director of marketing for ISC.
The hours of operation at the shopping centre will be Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Precautions against COVID-19 are being implemented to protect shoppers and tenants.
Young said "We're very committed to delivering the highest standards of safety," including physical distancing measures, new cleaning protocols and additional safety practices.
She said ISC will have security staff on hand to monitor people in the mall and how many people have entered.
"We can't have social gatherings in the mall, obviously, or crowds of people coming in," she explained.
Young said decals, arrows and posters have been placed throughout the shopping centre to help guide customers.
Hand sanitizers will also be placed at every mall entrance.
Restaurants in the shopping centre's food court are only permitted to offer take-out service under the provincial guidelines, so sit-down dining is not allowed.
SportChek and Marshalls, both of which have outside entrances, reopened in the second half of May.
