New Delhi: A sigh of relief is seen in the hospitality sector which remained the worst hit due to the lockdown imposed to combat coronavirus, with the reopening of shopping malls, restaurants and cafes today in most of the states as part of what it called ''Unlock 1" after more than two months of nation-wide lockdown.
The government on May 30 announced new rules for allowing shopping malls, restaurants, places of worship to open gradually after almost more than 2 months.
However, as the places are opening amid the spike in coronavirus cases in the country, retailers and restaurateurs are gearing up to take stringent measures to ensure safety and security of the customers and staff, adhering to the SOP's and guidelines laid down by the centre in the wake of novel coronavirus which includes social distancing, thermal scanning and hygiene.
In an interview with ETV Bharat, Nimish Arora, Director and Interim CEO of Delhi-NCR's most sought after mall Select Citywalk said, "In cognizance of the new normal, the shopping centre will be following strict SOPs as per government directives to ensure the utmost safety, sanitization and social distancing norms as required for the post-COVID-19 environment."
He also said that the Shopping Centre has introduced subtle changes in design and layout across entrances, public spaces.
Read: Union Health Ministry releases SOPs for shopping malls
"Crowd control and footfalls will be kept as outlined by the government across the premises, public spaces and retail outlets to ensure that social distancing norms can be followed correctly. There will be temperature checks at entry points, with visitors passing through disinfectant tunnels for additional safety," he said.
"We strongly recommend visitors to adhere to all the measures and wear masks once they enter the premises. A visitor registration book will be maintained for records, and all visitors will be advised to have the Arogya Setu app in their phones. The same checks will be in place for mall staff and retail operators. Exhaustive training of all support staff in the premises, f& b and retail outlets will be conducted before opening for these checks and balances to be in place", Arora added.
He said that tweaks in design and markings will help visitors and retail outlets maintain the necessary social distancing of 6 feet as per government norms.
"Markings for social distancing will be present on escalators; whereas elevators will operate on a limited capacity, with a maximum of 4 people to an elevator. The same will also be enforced in retail outlets and f&b areas," he added.
Furthermore, he underlined that all public areas and retail outlets in the shopping centre shall be disinfected thoroughly with user-friendly disinfectant mediums.
In coordination with the food courts, and retail outlets, all staff will have to wear facemasks, and sanitizers will be placed at the entry of each store. Air conditioning will be maintained as per the Central Public Work Departments (CPWD) norms.
Due to COVID-19, there has been a business loss in the commercial sector.
On being asked what are the plans and strategies undertaken by the select city walk to revive the business and increase the footfall of customers who are reluctant to go shopping due to fear of the pandemic?
Read: Union Health Ministry releases SOPs for shopping malls
To this Arora said, "While the business situation may improve in the months to come, the recovery will surely be gradual and not steep, and the entire impact of this pandemic and the likely future growth path can only be assessed once the situation returns to normalcy. Right now, our only priority is to be a safe and hygienic public space for visitors to come. We do want to ensure a safe and welcoming atmosphere to visitors, and we believe with adequate safety measures, gradually consumer confidence and footfalls will return."
When asked whether any change will be seen in India's shopping and mall culture post-COVID-19, Arora said, "Extreme ambiguities signify the gravity of our current crisis as to how or when it will end. In the past, the fundamental 2008 crisis was such, which created a massive impact on how people purchase and how people spend. Also, at that time, the culture of eating out, entertainment, and social gatherings were not as exposed as it is today. Post lockdown there will be a change in purchase and movement, but the culture will remain the same. Instead, we feel a new culture will evolve."
"E-commerce has seen large jumps in numbers during the lockdown period as people have used it for essential goods and services. Going forward, once the lockdown opens, we foresee a brief period of hesitancy, before consumers come back in full force to malls. The concept of Omni-channel retail is here to stay. Consumers need an experiential connect with brands, which only offline retail can provide. Malls are more than retail spaces, and offer a full destination experience to people, from entertainment to f&b. All partners and stakeholders, from retailers to mall owners will have to collaborate to bring back consumers to malls with good offers and experiences", he pointed out.
On the other hand, many restaurants said that they will need a week to put safety measures in place and prepare for what is going to be a new normal. In this context, Vice President (operations) of Berco's restaurants Meraj Rizvi said,
"We are still in process in opening up as we are chalking out the SOP's, it will take a week to open up. Home deliveries are encouraged where the kitchen area is sanitized. For dine-in, we are sanitizing the dining area, training the staff. As far as the dining area is a concern, we have to be extra careful. We are trying to come up with a sitting plan in the dining area to ensure social distancing which includes the introduction of shields which is under trial," he added.
Moreover, he said that with the government setting a time limit of 9 pm, it is a "challenging "situation for the restaurants to operate.
Also Read: Health Ministry issues SOPs to contain spread of coronavirus in offices
