After a tough year, Orange County is slowly trying to recover from the pandemic’s effects. Malls are amongst the businesses that were hit the most.

The Brea Mall was initially hit very hard, having been closed for 10 weeks. When the mall first reopened, they were only allowed to have two entrances monitored by security. Now the mall is open at nearly all entries. Masks and social distancing are still being enforced.

Inside the mall, many countermeasures have been made to ensure a minimal spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Including a limited number of people allowed in each shop based upon its square footage, mandatory masks unless at a dining area, and sanitation stations at nearly every store.

Outside of nearly every store is an area where people must wait in line until the occupancy has dropped to an acceptable level to let them in. This does not stop groups of people trying to get inside, but it may cause them to have to wait for an extended period.

Unfortunately, a few stores have closed because they were not able to open in time. Stores like Steve Madden, a fashion store, and Hope & Henry, an organic clothing store, have closed permanently due to the pandemic.

For some stores, business goes on as usual. Places like Bath & Body Works have longer lines than most stores. Some customers wait in up to 30 minutes to get inside to look around.

The food court is open with indoor dining of a sort. They have large open areas where people can gather at safe distances while trying to get their food. While the tables are still in the mall, they are stacked to make them inaccessible to anyone.

If customers order a meal, they are given the option to take it to-go or eat indoors at a bar with no seating. For some people, this can be a problem, so they have booths that run along the food court’s interior to allow people to sit without a table. There are restaurants outside the mall with outdoor seating and tables.

The restaurants in the food court appear to be in the same state as the rest of the mall; however, some have closed, without any sign of reopening anytime soon.

The Brea mall’s regular hours are 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday and 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays.