ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta region’s largest malls have begun reopening, though not all the stores inside are restarting business, as restrictions enacted in Georgia because of the coronavirus have been eased.
The Outlet Shoppes in Woodstock opened for the weekend, but some individual stores in the complex stayed closed. John Rampsott was among the few shoppers.
“It ended up just being kind of surreal where you just go and no one’s there,” he told WSB-TV.
At Lenox Square in Buckhead, which reopens Monday, the owners are requiring workers to take safety precautions, such as being symptom-free and wearing masks at the mall. Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville set up sanitizing stations as it opened its doors, and kept the children’s play area and food court seating closed.
Some shoppers think the openings are too soon and too risky.
“I’m fearful of people not taking safety precautions, and (I’d) rather be safe than to shop right now,” Tanya Moor said.
More than 28,600 Georgians have tested positive for the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The state’s death toll grew to 1,177 on Sunday, with three additional deaths reported.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than official counts because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For others, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
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