KENTWOOD, Mich. — Woodland Mall says it is following state restrictions on indoor dining even though customers have been eating throughout the mall.
Rules from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services allow for take-out meals and beverages, and the seating area in the food court is closed.
However, the mall has been providing limited seating at tables throughout the mall “to give shoppers the opportunity to rest, to connect and to rejuvenate,” Woodland Mall Marketing Manager Cecily McCabe said.
A complaint filed by a customer to the Kent County Health Department alleges that after customers had purchased food or beverages at the food court, they consumed them in other locations of the mall.
The customer who filed the complaint wrote that masks were completely removed and that she did not see social distancing being practiced or enforced, nor did she see mall staff cleaning high-touch surfaces.
This took place during her visit this past Saturday, she said.
McCabe said that the tables in the mall are placed at least six feet apart and that the Kent County Health Department has said the mall’s table placement and usage are fine.
Read the mall’s full statement:
The restaurants at Woodland Mall are complying fully with MDHHS regulations that permit take-out meals and beverages. The seating area in our food court has been and remains closed. We have limited seating at tables throughout the mall to give shoppers the opportunity to rest, to connect and to rejuvenate. These tables are placed at least six feet apart and cleaned frequently. We have been in contact with the Kent County Health Department, which has affirmed our table placement and usage are fine.
