METAIRIE, La. — The Lakeside Shopping Center is now offering curbside pickup under Louisiana's new coronavirus safety guidelines.
While the inside of the mall must remained closed to the public, restaurants and select businesses will offer pickup from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon - 6 p.m. on Sundays.
On Monday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced the state's Stay at Home order would be extended to May 15, but some businesses would be allowed to restart some services. This includes restaurants being allowed to offer outdoor seating, and malls offering curbside pickup.
Employees who are interacting with customers are required by the governor to wear face masks.
The mall has created special "pickup zones" around the outside of the building. They have numbered spaces labeled so costumers can give businesses their location when they arrive.
Chick-Fil-A, Smoothie King, Starbucks, Auntie Anne's and several other restaurants will offer curbside service with varying instructions.
Large retailers like Macy's and J.C. Penny were not on the initial list of stores.
The interior of the mall has been closed since mid-March as part of the state's social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Some restaurants were able to temporarily stay open for delivery services. The new guidelines for curbside pickup, however, enable many more to reopen for the first time in weeks.
While most of the reopening businesses offer food and beverage, the AT&T store and the Dick's Sporting Goods will offer services.
The changes to the Stay at Home Order go into effect on Friday, May 1.
- Malls will be closed to the public, but stores may open for curbside delivery
- Restaurants can open outside seating for customers to eat, but can not provide table service. They will still be take out only.
- Employees of businesses that are interacting with the public MUST wear masks or face covers.
Edwards also noted that non-essential retail stores have never been ordered closed, but must practice proper social distancing and can not have more than 10 people inside the store at any given time.
Edwards said that if Louisiana meets the White House guidelines, we will being Phase One by May 15. That announcement will be made on May 11.
“While this is not the announcement I want to make, I am hopeful, and all of Louisiana should be hopeful, that we will enter into the next phase of reopening soon," Edwards said. "I am anxious to get all areas of our economy reopened, but if we accelerate too quickly, we may have to slam on the brakes. That will be bad for public health and for businesses, bad for our people and bad for our state.”
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