The Shops at Ithaca Mall closed its doors on Wednesday to shoppers until further notice to help protect against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to Taylor Falls, a public relations representative for Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group — which owns and manages the mall — all shopping centers in the state owned by Namdar Realty Group have closed in accordance with “the guidance of authorities,” to protect the health of shoppers and mall employees.
But The Shops at Ithaca Mall will not empty out entirely. The mall will continue to host a COVID-19 drive-thru test site and the mall’s Target — which qualifies as an essential business because it sells food and operates a pharmacy — will remain open, according to Ashley Frandsen, a Target manager.
The drive-thru testing center, which opened March 24, remains open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The new testing facility replaced the drive-thru testing facility north of Cornell’s campus in order to expand testing capacity.
Tompkins County has now tested 1,009 people for the disease, resulting in 32 positive test results and 515 negative test results as of Thursday evening.
The Target has designated 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to shopping for individuals who are pregnant, over 65 years old or have underlying health concerns.
Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group said they hoped to reopen businesses as soon as possible.
“We sincerely appreciate our diligent team’s work in maintaining a safe and clean environment over the last few weeks and we hope to reopen as soon as possible,” the groups wrote in a statement to The Sun.
The mall’s general manager, Gina Speno, and Beth Tanner, Facilities and Public Safety Director, did not respond to multiple requests for comment by the time of publication.