Some Simon malls, shops close over coronavirus; Clearfork restaurants open

(EDITOR’S NOTE:) This story has been revised to reflect that Shops at Clearfork restaurants remain open.)

The owner of several malls in North Texas said its shopping centers will be closed for more than a week in hopes of reducing the spread of coronavirus, but many restaurants and stores chose to open.

Simon Property Group announced Wednesday that after extensive discussions with federal, state and local officials and in recognition of the need to address the spread of COVID-19, Simon will close all its retail properties, including malls and outlet shopping centers, in the U.S.

At least 10 restaurants in the Shops at Clearfork shopping center in Fort Worth remained open for take-out and delivery. It was not immediately clear which other Simon malls and shopping centers were affected.

Simon owns retail centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area including The Shops at Clearfork and University Park Village in Fort Worth, North East Mall in Hurst, Grapevine Mills, Grand Prairie Premium Outlets, Allen Premium Outlets and Firewheel Town Center in Garland, according to its website.

The closures took effect at 7 p.m. local time Wednesday and will end on March 29, according to a news release.

The Clearfork Farmers Market will also be closed through March, according to a Facebook post.

“The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance and we are taking this step to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said David Simon, chairman, CEO and president of Simon, in the release.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 9:13 PM.