COVID-19 Re-Opening Best Practices (Part 2)

Brad Smith • May 22, 2020

ICSC continues to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak on behalf of the retail real estate industry and our members. Communities are responding to the pandemic under various local, state and federal restrictions, many of which present unique challenges for both retailers and landlords.

The situation remains fluid with certain areas less impacted than others. This means that some states may begin the process of reopening businesses sooner than other states. The following are general recommendations for you to consider when it comes time for your store or property to reopen. They should be used in conjunction with any guidelines or mandates in place within your locale.

Retail Tenants

Plan for goods delivery and storage if temporarily needed as well as how inventory and deliveries will be disinfected. Additionally, plan for how packages to be shipped will be handled.

If the number of customers is restricted in stores, prepare and display a communication.

Consider creating a one-way traffic flow through the store.

Place floor stickers for social distancing queuing and consider mounting plexiglass sheets at checkouts for additional protection.

Encourage customers to respect social distancing, either through floor stickers or other communications located within the store.

Determine whether you will provide facial masks and/or gloves to patrons for use while in-store.

Plan for how returns or exchanges will be handled from customer to associate.

Create procedures for how fitting rooms will be sanitized between customer use.

Frequently clean high-touch areas such as counters, door handles and product displays.

Will any new technology be integrated to create opportunities for customers to retrieve purchases either in a designated location or curbside?

Consider contactless payments options such as RFID cards, Apple Pay, self-checkout, and online purchase to be picked up at a designated location or delivered to customer’s home.

Consider your staffing levels:

What are your general expectations for crowds when you open?
Are you changing your hours of operations?
Do staffing levels need to be lower than pre-pandemic?

Restaurant Tenants

Conduct a pre-shift health check of every employee.

Certify every staff member in food safety, with a certified manager on duty for each shift.

Consider using disposable utensils, placemats, condiment packages and menus, or sanitize all items after each use.

Encourage frequent hand-washing by employees and/or make hand sanitizer available to all employees.

Clean and sanitize all surfaces frequently.

Consider contactless payments options such as RFID cards, Apple Pay, self-checkout, and online purchase to be picked up at a designated location or delivered to customer’s home.

If the number of customers is restricted in the restaurant, prepare and display a communication.

Observe health officials’ social distancing recommendations.

For more information, please refer to the CDC website for updates and additional recommendations.

ICSC urges members to continue to maintain a high level of sanitation at all times in order to minimize the possible outbreak or spread of infection. We also encourage members to stay informed and to develop strategies and precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of their employees and customers.

All content provided by ICSC is for general informational purposes only. Such content is provided in good faith; however, ICSC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information provided. Your access to and use of the content provided herein is at your own risk. To the full extent permissible by law, ICSC will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of any content included or otherwise made available to you through ICSC, including, but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive and consequential damages.

Download our Complimentary Reopening Plan & Checklist Here!

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