Report: Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, more malls to reopen on May 1

ATLANTA - The company that owns Lenox Square Mall, Phipps Plaza, and malls across Georgia and the U.S. says it is planning to start reopening beginning at the start of May, an internal memo says.

Simon Property Group's memo said that the company will start reopening 49 of its malls and outlet centers starting May 1, CNBC reported on Tuesday. This includes seven locations in Georgia.

According to the memo, Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza, Calhoun Outlet Marketplace, the Mall of Georgia, North Georgia PO, Sugarloaf Mills, and Town Center at Cobb will all open on Friday, May 1. Other malls across the country will reopen on Saturday and Monday.

In order to reduce the spread of the virus and ensure safety, business hours will be limited to Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The reduced time will allow cleaners to help sanitize "high-touch areas" including the food court.

Lenox Square Mall

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Malls will also be making free temperature tests with infrared thermometers, CDC-approved masks, and hand sanitizer available for customers, the memo said.

The Simon-owned properties have been closed since March 18 to reduce COVID-19 exposure. The original plan was to have the malls back up and running by the end of March.

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Simon's memo comes after Gov. Brian Kemp started reopening businesses in the state of Georgia. On Monday, Kemp allowed restaurants to resume dine-in service and movie theaters to begin running again. These businesses now join hair salons, tattoo parlors, nail salons, and bowling alleys to reopen.

FOX 5 has reached out to the malls for comment but have not received one at this time. We will update the story as soon as they respond. 

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.