Centres Of Attention

As restrictions ease with the beginning of phase three, malls reopen their doors across the country

- James Moncur

Scotland’s shopping malls opened their doors yesterday on day one of a major unlocking of coronavirus restrictions this week.

Eager punters took advantage across the country as shops without an on-street door were given the green-light to open with strict safety measures in place.

Shoppers wore masks and maintained social distancing rules as teams of “deep cleaners” worked in the aisles around them.

They waited patiently to follow one-way systems and stuck to strict limits on the number of people allowed in stores at any one time.

Visitors to Braehead in Renfrew, near Glasgow, were temperature scanned by teams of security guards using infrared thermometers as they entered.

The first through the doors were Anna Gorska, 35, her daughter, Maja, seven, and friend Marzena Marcinczyk, 33, from Govan, in Glasgow.

Anna said: “We’ve missed coming shopping at Braehead. We prefer to come to the shopping centre so we can see exactly what we are buying.

“We’re all going back to Poland later this month for a visit and we came early today in case there were any queues.”

Another visitor, Audrey Stewart, from Bishopton, near Glasgow, said: “I feel quite safe being in the centre with all the different procedures that’s been introduced and everything is well sign-posted.

“You just have to be a bit more observant when you’re walking around and everyone seems to be following what they’re being asked to do.”

Alan Reid, from Irvine, Ayrshire, added: “With all the measures put in place, I feel quite comfortable being here.”