Shopping malls reopen for business after two-month shutdown

Antiseptics, face masks and social distancing defined the reopening of shopping malls on Monday, Evangelos Zarkalis, general manager of the popular mega-outlet The Mall Athens told Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) on Monday.

Zarkalis said that common areas at the northern suburbs' The Mall are being constantly disinfected by certified cleaning companies. Public rest rooms he said are disinfected every 15 minutes, and there are hand sanitizers throughout the premises.

"We made sure there was a distance of 1.5 meters per visitor at all times and that elevators are used only by vulnerable groups and the elderly," he said, adding that "we also do online counting of the people entering the mall, keeping the rule of one visitor per 20 square meters".

Discount and outlet villages also opened on Monday under strict health protocols, after a shutdown due to coronavirus measures introduced on March 16.