Citadel Outlets in Commerce reopens for in-person shopping with new safety measures

With in-person retail shopping resuming in L.A. County, the Citadel Outlets is moving forward with reopening with safety measures in place.

Thursday, May 28, 2020
Citadel Outlets in Commerce reopens with new safety measures
The Citadel Outlets in Commerce reopened Thursday for in-person shopping with physical distancing and safety measures in place.

COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Citadel Outlets in Commerce reopened Thursday for in-person shopping with physical distancing and safety measures in place.

The move comes as state and county officials move deeper into the process of reopening businesses that have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

About 20 of the mall's 130 stores is open for business, according to Samara De La O, Citadel Outlets senior director of marketing. More are expected to open in the coming days.

"Every day we're getting more and more stores interested in reopening, coming back to the center and really understanding that they want to be open," De La O said.

De La O said the outlets' security team will enforce physical distancing.

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Safety measures at the shopping center include "more frequent sanitizing efforts" in common areas and places such as food court tables and bathrooms, mall officials said in a press release. Officials also said there will be "contactless bathroom amenities" and more hand sanitizer stations available.

"We have taken every precaution that we can think of, even over and above the CDC guidelines," said David Blagg with the Citadel Outlets. "This is a center where we are used to having large crowds."

Seating will be rearranged to be 6 feet apart and decals will be placed at stores and other areas that may have lines to remind customers to maintain physical distancing.

There will also be plexiglass shields at the customer service center.

As for employees, they will be required to wear face coverings, have their temperatures checked daily and follow hygienic practices.

Stores have been asked to follow recommended measures such as limiting the number of people inside, have one-way aisles, offer contactless payment methods and apply persistent cleaning routines.

The shopping center will be open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

A daily update on which stores are reopening can be found on the shopping center's website. Eighteen stores currently offer curbside pickup.