CHENNAI: Plan to visit a shopping mall or hotel on Tuesday or later? You will have to pre-book your visit, undergo unmanned thermal screening, use disinfecting mats to clean your footwear, sanitise your baggage at the entrance and make contactless payments.
After the government relaxed some restrictions and permitted shopping malls and hotels to function from Tuesday, many have come up with a detailed sanitation and safety regime to ensure a smooth run during the pandemic.
The Tamil Nadu government, on Monday, issued a detailed list of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for shopping malls and hotels. Wearing a mask, maintaining at least six feet of physical distancing and being asymptomatic are some of the musts for you. Malls and hotels in containment zones shall remain closed.
The impact of COVID-19 has forced the entire retail ecosystem to evolve and adapt to the new normal. And visitors will have to follow suit.
In a statement on Monday, Pooja Patti, Centre Director, Phoenix MarketCity and Palladium, said that it has launched 'Nhance by Phoenix' - an app that can be downloaded from Google Play store and App store to increase ease and safety. "The app gives a live overview of all the people entering and shopping inside the mall at any given time," the statement said.
It added that patrons can pre-book an "express entry to the mall, locating their favourite stores easily, making quick and contactless payments, pre-ordering their food from anywhere in the mall, availing free monthly rewards for exploring all the latest deals."
Express Avenue mall's management on their social media pages said that contactless payment methods have been introduced across the mall starting from the parking.
Brookefields mall in Coimbatore has announced that it will be open from September 4 and the operational timings would be 12 noon to 8 pm. Visitors have to scan the Unique Mall Pass (provided at the mall’s Instagram or FB pages) or use Aarogya Setu App to get the QR code for check-in and check-out procedures.
Prozone mall in Coimbatore said it will reopen from September 1. Customers can now pre-book a slot for their visit to the mall in advance (http://prozonemalls.com) or at the entrance of the mall. This will be done via a QR code-based appointment system.
While the rules announced by the government for visitors are standard, managements are required to thermally screen all visitors and install hand hygiene systems like sanitizer dispensers sufficiently.
Air circulation system should allow fresh or treated fresh air with fresh air levels of more than 50 per cent, the government has said. This means that the centralised heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) should be upgraded before opening as well. The temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-30 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity should be in the range of 40-70 per cent, the government has said.
While large gatherings shall be prevented, individual retail stores in malls should also cap the maximum number of visitors allowed into the stores to ensure proper physical distancing. The mall should be periodically disinfected both inside and in the lawn and sitting area around. Deep washing of washrooms shall be done at least six times a day.
Food courts and restaurants shall allow only 50 per cent capacity and malls should arrange for contactless payment methods. Dining tables and chairs should be disinfected with 2.5 per cent lysol immediately after every service.
Hotels, in addition, are required to disinfect luggage before sending them to rooms and all employees must follow all safety and sanitation protocols as well.
ITC Grand Chola management, in a statement on Sunday, said that some of the following features have been remodelled at the restaurants in the hotel: "Welcome separators to ensure safe distancing; tableware, crockery, cutlery are pre-sanitised and served in a cover; individual servings for sauces and condiments; hand sanitisers present on each table; QR-code enabled digital menus and e-payment seamlessly ensure no contact," adding that a 30-minute gap shall be ensured between guests to provide time for deep-cleaning of furniture.
Room service or takeaway is encouraged by the government in hotels instead of dine-in. Food delivery personnel should leave the packet at the guest or customer's door and not hand it over directly. Further, room service communication should be carried out over phones or intercoms to avoid direct contact. Restaurants in hotels should act independently and thermally screen all visitors before entry.
Gaming arcades, children's play areas and cinema halls shall remain shut. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home.