Tips on COVID-19 prevention in malls

I. Operation management

1. Implement responsibilities. The person in charge of the shopping mall should establish prevention and control mechanisms and collect employees’ information.

2. Increase awareness of risk prevention. Use videos or posters to enhance the awareness of merchants and customers about risk prevention for novel coronavirus.

3. Strengthen health management. Employees at work should pay attention to their own health monitoring. When symptoms such as fever and cough occur, they should report in time and go to a designated hospital for treatment in accordance with regulations.

4. Implement personnel temperature detection. Specially-assigned people should take the temperature of each employee and customer at the mall entrances.

5. Everyone should wear a mask. All employees should wear masks to work, and specially-assigned people should be arranged to remind customers to wear masks before they enter large shopping malls.

6. It is forbidden to organize gatherings. Avoid group meals as well as meetings, training, entertainment of large numbers of people. Large-scale promotional activities, exhibitions or other gatherings are prohibited.

7. Suspend some service facilities. Suspend services for mother and infant rooms, children's playgrounds, and indoor entertainment venues. Public facilities that cannot be temporarily closed must be disinfected before reopening.

8. Have meals using separate tables and at different times. Employees should dine at other than peak times and away from the dining hall, minimizing close conversation.

9. Use elevators reasonably. All people should keep a proper distance from each other when riding in an elevator. It is recommended to use a staircase for shopping on low floors. Avoid touching the handrail when using an escalator. Do not touch the keys directly with your hands when using the elevator.

10. Set up emergency zones. People with suspected infection symptoms should be asked to go to the area for temporary isolation immediately, and following measures be taken according to the relevant regulations.

II. Environmental hygiene

1. Strengthen indoor ventilation. While ensuring that the temperature of the business venue meets the standards, open the doors and windows for ventilation as much as possible. Air conditioning ventilation systems’ components should be cleaned, disinfected or changed every week.

2. Waste removal and disposal. The garbage generated every day should be sorted and managed in a special garbage disposal area, and quickly put in place and cleaned up. Garbage bags should be placed inside the trash can with a cover. The area around the temporary garbage storage area should be kept clean and disinfected at least once a day.

3. Other sanitary requirements. Ensure that the sewer outlets are cleaned and disinfected daily, and that public toilets are cleaned in a timely manner.

4. Strengthen cleaning and disinfection. Staff dining areas should strengthen the cleaning and disinfection of public tableware, and the surface of objects should be cleaned and disinfected. It is recommended that disinfection be done at least once a day before business. The number of disinfections can be appropriately increased according to the increase in customer flow. Ensure regular disinfection of trash cans, sanitary ware, work clothes, etc.

III. Key protection groups

1. Sales staff, cashiers, tallymen, cleaners, security guards and other staff who have more contact with customers should wear gloves and masks when they are on duty.

2. Receivers and purchasers should wash their hands before and after passing documents or items. Avoid touching your eyes with your hands or gloves during work. Wear masks when passing documents. Those who frequently send and receive documents or other supplies should wear masks and gloves.

3. Cashiers should be encouraged to use the wireless code scanning payment method. Cashiers can be equipped with goggles if it is possible. For express delivery in the mall, priority is given to online order payments and the use of express cabinets for handovers.

IV. Functional area requirements

1. Bars, dance halls, movie theaters, video games halls and other crowded entertainment areas in shopping malls should be closed.

2. Training institutions in shopping malls should suspend learning and training involving large numbers of people, and the use of online teaching methods is recommended.

3. Salespeople should keep a distance of one meter or more when talking with customers, and measures should be taken to limit the number of customers in the sales hall if necessary.

4. Sports and fitness areas should advise customers to appropriately reduce the length of fitness training and avoid gatherings.

5. Dining areas should recommend that customers pack meals or order meals by remote networks. Customers should take care not to contact the service staff directly when picking up the meal.

6. Regarding supermarkets in shopping malls, environmental sanitation protection must be handled in accordance with special requirements.

Source: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention