Friday at 5 p.m. marks the beginning of Phase II reopening in Montgomery County. Stores, gyms and nail salons that have been closed for months will be able to open their doors again to a small stream of visitors. Restaurants will be allowed to open their dining rooms at 50% capacity, but most will continue to emphasize takeout, delivery and curbside pickup. Westfield Montgomery mall will reopen on Tuesday, June 23rd, with limited hours (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday) and lots of rules. Management says it will monitor the number of visitors, enforce social distancing, remind people to wear masks and provide plenty of hand sanitizer stations. Some of the mall’s restaurants will be open, but you won’t be able to linger at the Dining Terrace. “We are not going to allow people to gather in the mall,” county executive Marc Elrich said at a press briefing this week. “People should enter the mall and go to the store they want to shop at. They are open for shopping, not for socializing.”
