São Paulo State Shopping Malls to Reopen Monday, but Only Four Hours per Day

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Shopping malls and street trade in the cities of São Paulo that have been allowed to restart economic activities will have to comply with restrictions on the number of visitors and limited working hours, according to details released on Friday, May 29th, by João Doria’s administration.

According to the Secretary of Economic Development, Patricia Ellen, shopping malls and trade in cities in stage 2, orange (as is the case of the capital of São Paulo), may only operate at 20 percent of capacity, four hours per day.

Regarding shopping malls, the food courts must remain closed. In the cities in stage 3 – yellow – there will be a six-hour working day and a 40 percent capacity.

“This is still a time to be very careful, to go out only if strictly necessary,” said the Secretary. “We are not going out for a walk. We must be very responsible right now for the results to be achieved”.

The State includes five quarantine stages, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue; the first stage entails full restriction and the last involves release.

There are a series of protocols for each stage. In the capital, Mayor Bruno Covas announced that the city is still to sign reopening protocols with associations representing the sectors that may reopen.

As of Monday, the first day, inspection will be reinforced. Stores and shopping malls will only be able to open after signing hygiene protocols.

“We will not set a deadline, so as not to be held hostage to that deadline. As soon as the Health Surveillance allows it, it will reopen,” Covas said. “Despite the authorization granted by the state government, the protocols will start to be analyzed on June 1st. And we are going to have more stringent inspections on the street on Monday,” Covas said when asked about businesses that may reopen before the municipal authorization.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo