Destiny USA will close temporarily to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced Wednesday in an executive order. 

McMahon’s executive order mandates that all shopping malls in Onondaga County, including Shoppingtown and Great Northern malls, close from 5 p.m. Wednesday to the end of April 13. The closures will help the county reduce potential cases of the novel coronavirus through social distancing, he said.

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has spread to at least 143 countries, infected at least 179,057 people and killed over 7,057. There are currently 2,382 confirmed cases of the virus in New York state, and at least 12 people have died. Onondaga County has confirmed six cases.

The mall closures come two days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered gyms, movie theaters and casinos to close indefinitely to help curb the spread of the virus. Cuomo later announced Wednesday that New York state will temporarily close all indoor portions of malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys by 8 p.m. Thursday. 

Access to Destiny USA for employees will be limited to one entrance, the mall’s general manager said in a message to staff Wednesday. Restaurants providing take-out service can still do so, the manager said. 

Pyramid, the company that owns the mall, had previously announced plans to keep Destiny USA open but reduce its hours of operation beginning today. 

The mall is New York’s largest and the sixth largest in the country, according to Pyramid. The mall employs 5,000 people, the company said. 

Published on March 18, 2020 at 5:58 pm

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3