When shopping malls reopen on Tuesday, gaming arcades and children’s play areas will still remain closed, going by the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Tamil Nadu government in this regard on Monday.

Persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 are also “advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. Shopping mall management to advise accordingly” the SOP issued by Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam said.

The air circulation system in each mall should allow fresh/treated fresh air with a fresh air level of more than 50%. For air conditioning/ventilation, the guidelines of CPWD shall be followed, which inter alia emphasises that the temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-30 degree Celsius, relative humidity should be in the range of 40-70%, intake of fresh air should be as much as possible and cross ventilation should be adequate, it said.

The guidelines state that adequate crowd and queue management is to be ensured for implementing physical distancing norms. Only asymptomatic customers/visitors would be allowed inside shopping malls. ‘No service’ boards may be placed on the dining tables in the food courts/restaurants in order to ensure physical distancing norms.

The SOP issued by the government in this regard can be accessed on The Hindu portal at: http://bit.ly/SOPsShoppingMalls

SOP for hotels, recreational clubs

The State government also issued an SOP for hotels and clubs, including recreational clubs and other hospitality units, which broadly match with those of the norms for shopping malls. The SOP issued by the government in this regard can be accessed on The Hindu portal at: http://bit.ly/HotelsandClubs