It looks like ‘Phase 4’ is coming for the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Central New York, but don’t expect malls to be part of that phase.
Officials with Eastview Mall posted to Facebook this week that local malls still haven’t been given any guidance on when, or if they can reopen in ‘Phase 4’.
There was some hope initially that malls could be part of ‘Phase 2’ or even ‘Phase 3’. However, it now looks like shopping centers – like Eastview Mall, or Destiny USA will be held back again.
After ‘Phase 4’ there is no identified timeline or strategy for reopening additional business that were left out of the phased process.
Meanwhile, officials with Eastview Mall say they have a plan. Malls in surrounding states – like Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have already reopened.
Malls are a massive sales tax generator for counties like Onondaga, Ontario, and Monroe. With malls continuing to be closed, the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic grow. Those counties are already more sales tax dependent than others in the region.
It’s a major cause for concern, according to officials.
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