Columbia Center mall back open. Temperature checks, masks required

Columbia Center mall in Kennewick reopened at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 7.

Benton and Franklin counties were allowed to move to a modified Phase 1 of reopening Friday, with restaurant dining allowed outdoors and nonessential stores allowed to have limited numbers of customers inside for up to 30 minutes.

The mall had been closed since March 19 because of the coronavirus.

Protective measures at the mall will include enhanced sanitizing and disinfecting, temperature testing of shoppers at entrances and masks available for shoppers

A new state order requires shoppers to wear masks or other cloth face coverings within the mall and its stores.

Social distancing practices will be enforced and the play area and stroller service will be closed.

As the mall reopens, it will join a national initiative to host food banks, clothing donations, COVID-19 mobile testing and blood drives.

“Reopening our property will not only help people get back to work during these challenging times, but also enable us to use our property to further support charitable initiative,” said Barbara Johnson, general manager of Columbia Center.

The mall provides more than 1,500 jobs and contributes $15.7 million of sales tax and $830,000 in property tax revenue to the state, helping pay for education, infrastructure, and health and safety services.

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 10:43 AM.