Devonshire Mall is excited to expand services as Ontario moves into Stage 2 of its reopening process early.
The province announced restrictions would be eased on June 30 after reaching COVID-19 vaccination and case count benchmarks ahead of schedule.
Non-essential retailers are allowed to open with 25 per cent of the building's capacity and essential retailers are allowed 50 per cent of the building's capacity under the second stage.
Devonshire Mall's Chris Savard says more than 2,000 staff members at the mall are likely relieved to get the call to come back to work.
"Our tenants are excited. It's been an awfully long time since we've been able to open up to the public," he says. "We were ready to reopen July 2, but it's now Wednesday June 30 and we're certainly happy that we can reopen a bit earlier than expected."
Savard is asking customers to be patient.
"We will be operating at a reduced capacity limit so there's a potential there may be some line-ups at the door but we're certainly anxious to get open regardless," he added.
When it comes to the food vendors, Savard says the nice weather will be a benefit for them.
"The food court's seating will not be open in Stage 2, but we have set up and outdoor patio in the parking lot to give our food court retailers an opportunity for their customers to have a place to sit," he says. "Sadly, we haven't sat anyone in that food court since the end of November."
Savard says mask and physical distancing restrictions will remain in place.
The plan is to open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Updates on opening hours and restrictions can be found on Devonshire Mall's website.