Monmouth County Malls Ready For Monday Reopening

FREEHOLD, NJ – After more than three months without customers, indoor malls in the state can finally open to the public on June 29, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. Two major malls in Monmouth County, Monmouth Mall and Freehold Raceway Mall, will open their doors at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Per the governor’s orders, stores will operate at 50 percent capacity with movie theaters, food courts and arcades to remain closed until further notice. Mall restaurants will be limited to take-out and outdoor dining until July 2, when indoor dining may resume at 25 percent capacity. All shoppers will be required to wear face coverings.

Monmouth Mall will reopen its doors at 11 a.m. on June 29, with temporary reduced hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Five entrances with automatic entrances and exits, as well as three entrances with foot grips installed for hands-free access. Along with signage throughout the mall to promote social distancing, additional hand sanitizer and disinfectant stations have been implemented at each entrance. Free face masks will be provided by mall security should shoppers forget a mask at home.

The Eatontown location has also temporarily closed off children’s 'soft-touch' play areas and lounge seating. While food courts remain closed, outdoor dining at mall restaurants will offer outdoor seating.

Jim Staveley, the senior general manager of Monmouth Mall, says that he hopes the Monday reopening will restore a sense of familiarity to shoppers, who have otherwise spent months without access to in-person retail and dining.

“Come Monday at 11 a.m., you could walk into Monmouth Mall as you would pre-COVID-19 days and shop at your favorite stores," Staveley told Patch. "There are certainly a lot of safeguards that we’ve put in place because of COVID-19 but I think in many respects, it will be the same shopping experience that you had pre-COVID.”

Freehold Raceway Mall will also welcome shoppers come Monday morning, with temporary reduced hours of Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Freehold location will also be focusing on sanitized frequent 'touch points' and implementing increased social distancing and sanitation measures.

“We are looking forward to seeing our retail partners and welcoming local shoppers back to Freehold Raceway Mall,” said Frank Lucia, the mall's Senior Property Manager. “More than ever, people are ready to safely get back to the places and activities they’ve been missing and we are excited to be a big part of this. All of us are committed to ensuring our property can get back to making major contributions to our local economy through jobs, sales taxes and more.”

At a June 18 press conference, Gov. Murphy called New Jersey malls part of the state’s “lore” and expressed his belief that the reopening of indoor malls will be an important step to boost the state’s economy. "We want these businesses to get back up and running responsibly and we ask everyone heading out to the mall to comply with the requirements in place," he said.