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The malls will also undergo additional cleaning, with tenants responsible for the disinfection of their own premises. Some tenants have voiced their displeasure given the challenging business environment.
Already reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightened COVID-19 measures, tenants at JEM and Westgate shopping malls face another hurdle as the two malls were ordered to be closed for two weeks amid a “likely ongoing” COVID-19 transmission.
The closure comes as several persons who visited or worked at the two malls tested positive for COVID-19, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
The Ministry of Health offered free testing for persons who had been to the malls from 10 to 14 May. On 22 May (Saturday), it shared that there was “likely” an “ongoing transmission” among persons who visited the two malls, hence, the mandatory two-week closure from 23 May to 6 June.
Jason Pay, who owns a Thai food stall at JEM’s Koufu outlet, shared that they were given a window on Sunday (23 May) from 7am to 11pm “to clear anything that we needed to clear”.
“We (had) to clear the food in the chiller because they will go bad if left in the chiller for two weeks and redistribute them to other outlets,” he said as quoted by CNA.
With sales halted and staff unable to be deployed at other outlets, the malls’ closure left many tenants such as Pay in limbo.
“I asked (my staff) to stay at home and clear leave because I don’t want them to be cross-deployed,” noted Pay.
“I’ve made a promise to my (staff) that we will not let anyone go. I think we can (do this) as long as there is the aid given by the Government,” he said, referring to the recently enhanced Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) rolled out by the government to support F&B businesses.
Lendlease Singapore, which manages JEM, revealed that all common areas at the mall will undergo additional cleaning, while tenants will be responsible for the disinfection of their own premises.
Westgate, which is operated by CapitaLand, also have the same arrangement in place, with tenants given the option to engage the services of the mall’s cleaning vendor or look for their own vendors from NEA’s approved list of companies. CapitaLand shared that it is in talks with its cleaning vendor to secure a more competitive rate for its tenants.
Some tenants, however, were not happy with the cleaning arrangement.
“We were ordered to close, but we still have to pay for the disinfection ourselves and hire appointed cleaners,” Lena Ong, who operates a kiosk selling socks at JEM, told CNA.
She explained that forking out money for disinfection costs is hard given the challenging business environment and the closure of her store.
“I was quoted $300 but mine is one of the smallest shops in JEM, so if it’s a larger shop, (the cleaning company) said it can easily be around $500 to $1,000,” she said.
Lim Fong, Director of footwear brand Dr Kong, shared her sentiments, pointing that sales fell from around $500 per day to $100 following the implementation of tighter COVID-19 measures last week.
“It is extra cost … I already had to cut my store’s operating hours from 10am to 10pm, to 11.30am to 8pm, because of the drop in demand,” said Lim as quoted by CNA.
The 41-year old is organising group disinfection services among tenants, in hopes of securing a lower price from cleaning companies.
“If there are rental rebates and help from the JSS during the closure, that will be good too,” added Lim.
CapitaLand has said that Westgate tenants will benefit from rental waivers during the closure period. It is also waiving commission and platform fees for its digital platform to help retailers sell their goods online.
Over at JEM, Lendlease Singapore’s Head of Asset Operations Jenny Khoo said they are in discussions with their tenants “on offering the right assistance during this time and will share further updates in due course”.
The Ministry of Health believes a cleaner at Park Avenue Rochester, a stay-home notice dedicated facility, may be the source of infection at the JEM/Westgate cluster.
Identified as Case 62933, the cleaner visited Westgate on 6 May and was confirmed with COVID on 7 May.
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Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this story, email: victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg
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