Black Friday shoppers visit Mall at Millenia with COVID-19 precautions in place

Shopping during a pandemic

Shoppers hit the malls for Black Friday deals though crowds were thinner and customers were expected to follow coronavirus protocols.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Black Friday shoppers made their way to The Mall at Millenia, but this year looks different with COVID-19 precautions in place.

The Mall at Millenia management says Black Friday shopping isn't as busy as last year, but are happy with the turnout. Mall management has several COVID-19 precautions in place like mask requirements, social distance markers on the ground, common areas are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day and some stores require a temperature check.

Some mall staff also walk around with extra masks, if people need them and will ask shoppers to correct masks that aren't being worn properly.

"Walking around seeing everyone’s faces covered up and still seeing all of the social distancing in the lines," said Shopper Aleah Polite. "It makes me feel better about going inside stores and picking up stuff."

Laurie Smith and her daughter Caitlyn waited on social distance markers to get into stores.

"It’s different, it’s really different," Smith said. "You don’t have the shopping experience that you’re used to and that’s unsettling, but it’s Black Friday so you’re going to do what you have to do."

The Mall at Millenia had reduced its hours because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this weekend, mall management has slightly extended them to help keep people apart.

"It allows us to spread out the crowd by not having it so concentrated in a short amount of hours," said General Manager The Mall at Millenia Steven Jamieson.