Business & Tech
King Of Prussia Mall Closed Saturday Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
More than a thousand people signed a petition urging the mall to shut down after it flouted Gov. Wolf's "strong recommendation" to do so.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — After initially flouting Gov. Wolf's request that all non-essential retail shut down, the King of Prussia Mall has temporarily closed Saturday.
It is not yet clear how long the closure will be in place, and requests for more information from Simon Malls, the owner of the mall, have not been answered. No statement from Simon Malls has been issued.
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"The #KOP Mall is the largest Mall in the United States as measured by retail square footage," Upper Merion Township Supervisor Greg Waks said on Twitter Saturday. "This is a good decision to mitigate the spread of #COVIDー19."
The closure comes after more than 1,300 people signed a Change.org petition urging the mall to close.
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The mall, along with another Simon property, Montgomery Mall, was among the few large businesses in Montgomery County to remain open despite Gov. Wolf's recommendation.
Simon Malls claimed on Thursday that Gov. Wolf had not been specific enough.
"With respect to Governor Wolf's statement, the Governor did not mandate store closures and did not define what nonessential retail is," Simon said in a statement Thursday.
King of Prussia has more than 2.7 million square feet of indoor space and nearly 500 stores.
The news comes as three new cases of coronavirus were found in Montgomery County Saturday morning, bringing the county's total to 20 and the state's total to 45.
"Before using his full authority to compel businesses to close for the purpose of protecting the public's health, it is the governor's hope they will heed his strong recommendation to mitigate the spread of this disease," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh had said during a press conference Friday.
Other major public spaces like Plymouth Meeting Mall and Willow Grove Park Mall announced closures immediately following Gov. Wolf's initial recommendations on Thursday. Elmwood Park Zoo and Valley Forge Casino followed shortly thereafter.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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