Lack of safe distancing at Guildford Town Centre worries store manager
Posted June 28, 2020 1:33 pm.
Last Updated June 28, 2020 1:47 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — An employee in the Guildford Town Centre tells NEWS 1130, many customers are not following health and safety protocols.
Despite moving into Phase 3 of the province’s restart plan on Wednesday, some are still not taking distancing measures seriously, according to Heather Kraft, store manager for Pandora jewellery.
“The lineup is so out of control, 40-50 people, the food court is packed, they closed off some tables, but it doesn’t matter,” Kraft says.
Since customers aren’t following guidelines, Kraft tells NEWS 1130 she’s scared for her safety.
Many customers are standing together in large groups, and Kraft says many don’t seem to care to spread out. And she adds many aren’t using Personal Protective Equipment.
“There’s no cap on the amount of people that are here and that’s alarming. Two Saturdays ago, you couldn’t see the floor. There were so many people, shoulder to shoulder, walking, talking, standing around. Very disheartening.”
“Nobody is listening to the one-way walkways. It’s kind of like a traffic control. Just like driving in your car. You’ve got to stay on one side of the road. Nobody listens. On Saturdays and Sundays, the mall gets extremely busy to the point where you can’t see the floor,” she says.
Kraft says she’s reached out to mall admin and the non-emergency police, but so far nothing has been done.
According to the Guildford Town Centre website, it is taking precautionary measures to deal with COVID.
“We require a 2 meters distance to be maintained among all individuals in the property. We ask that all social distancing arrows be respected and will limit elevators to two people at a time. Food court and common area seating will be eliminated for the time being. Guest Services will be open May 21st during regular shopping centre hours with new plexiglass guards and other physical distancing measures in place,” COVID-19 – Policies and Procedures on the site reads.
“Hand soap dispensers and the hand sanitizer dispensers are available at designated locations on our property. We have implemented rigorous sanitization procedures for washrooms, tables, door handles, and other high-touch surfaces with increased frequency.”
NEWS 1130 has reached out to Guildford Town Centre for comment.
