The National Cabinet meeting held in March announced that shopping centres around the country would remain open but additional services would close.
This included beauty therapy, day spas, massage, nail bars, laser clinics, tanning and waxing salons. Hairdressers remained open with appointments limited to 30 minutes and the one person per four square metre rule. Food court seating areas were closed but food and dining operators remained open and could continue take-away and delivery services.
All other retail and services continued to trade with physical distancing in place throughout centres and retail stores.
Vicinity Centres CEO and managing director Grant Kelley said, “We support the clear message that physical distancing is a key defence against the spread of COVID-19, and we have put in place measures to reiterate to the community to keep a healthy distance from one another while they are visiting our centres.”
Kelley said Vicinity’s teams had been working to prepare the business and its retailers for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and were operationally mobilised to put in place any necessary Government measures as they come into effect.
“We are continuing to work directly with our retailers on a case-by-case basis, including both our retailers who continue to trade and those that aren’t operational, and are committed to supporting them during this period of uncertainty and unprecedented challenge.”