HARTFORD, Conn. — A FOX61 viewer asked us: Why aren't they closing the malls if there could be bigger crowds of more than 500 people???
As of March 12, shopping malls in Connecticut were open. In some parts of the United States and the world, that is not the case. Shopping malls in Italy and China are ghost towns. Pennsylvania's governor has urged his residents to stay away from malls. Gov. Ned Lamont has ordered no events with more than 250 people be held, but he didn't say anything about shopping malls.
We checked the websites and social media pages of several Connecticut malls. Not every shopping center had information listed, but here's what we found:
Manchester
The Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester is "closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak," according to its website. "High traffic" areas of the mall, like restrooms and the food court, are being disinfected at an increased frequency.
"If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the shopping center, we will alert the community and work with local, state and federal health officials to ensure an appropriate plan is in place to help diminish the spread of the virus," a statement on Buckland Hills' website said.
Meriden
The Westfield Meriden mall has a similar message on its website. Mall management has "increased the frequency and intensity of our cleaning, focusing our housekeeping in high-touch areas, including restrooms, play areas, dining areas, and water fountains." The mall also has a public service advertising campaign to reinforce preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. "In the meantime, we are open for business," the Westfield Meriden statement said.
Waterbury
The Brass Mill Center is owned by the same company that owns The Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester. Brass Mill has a similar statement on its website, but with a noted change. Thursday night, the statement appeared to be a template, with missing local information, and instructions to mall management customize the language.
Waterford
The Crystal Mall in Waterford tweeted it is "committed to doing whatever is needed to safeguard the health of our shoppers, our employees and our tenants."
The linked message tweeted by Crystal mall, signed 'Mall Management' said cleaning crews have been increased to "focus on highly trafficked locations."
"We recognize this is fluid and dynamic situation and we are in constant contact with the CDC, federal and local health authorities to ensure we continue to implement the highest quality hygiene and safety measures and will adjust accordingly as more information becomes available," the statement said.
