Link Asset Management Limited (Link) announced that Tsz Wan Shan Shopping Centre and its adjacent fresh market (the premises) will be closed for deep cleaning in a joint effort to contain the virus spread together with the centre’s tenants on 17 July and 18 July. The shopping centre and fresh market will reopen at 6:30 am on 19 July (Sunday).

This follows several confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection within the Tsz Wan Shan community, and a series of sanitisation measures undertaken by Link over the past week*, which were in addition to routine cleaning protocol. The additional measures are aimed to protect the health and safety of staff, shoppers and tenants.

With the heightened concerns of community transmissions, Link has decided to extend the closing of the premises for further deep cleaning though closing the premises, including the related 24-hours public passageway, might cause inconvenience to visitors and tenants.

Having stepped-up sanitisation measures, another round of disinfectant fogging exercise will be conducted on the premises from 17 July (Friday) midnight. Link offers the disinfection service for free should tenants wish to have their shops sanitised at the same time.

On completion of fogging disinfection, disinfectant coatings will also be applied to frequently used areas in the shopping centre.

Meanwhile, Link’s hygiene contractor will expedite the disinfection of air filters in the public air conditioning system. Following disinfectant fogging procedures, and the whole premises will be further sanitised with 1:49 diluted bleach.

Link invites tenants to join hand in fighting the virus together by conducting deep cleaning and sanitisation of their retail spaces during the mall closure to restore the confidence of staff, visitors and residents.

During the closure, tenants will be able to enter the premises following a registration process to limit the number of people on-site. All visitors will be required to wear a face mask at all times except when eating or drinking.

*Notes:

As of last weekend, Link has stepped up cleaning and sanitisation measures in addition to routine hygiene controls. The measures included:

• Disinfectant fogging was conducted throughout the shopping centre on Sunday (12 July) and at the fresh market on Saturday (11 July).
• Deep cleaning has been conducted at the fresh market and restaurants visited by COVID-19 patients. The restaurants concerned have been closed, while all visitors to the fresh market are required to wear face masks and conduct temperature checks.
• On Monday (13 July), Link distributed collection bottles to enable tenants, contractors and staff of the shopping centre and market operators to collect deep throat saliva specimens. The collected bottles were subsequently returned to the Centre for Health Protection for testing.
• Additional cleaning staff was deployed from Monday (13 July) and high-traffic facilities in the shopping centre is disinfected with 1:49 diluted bleach every two hours.
• On Wednesday (15 July), the shopping centre’s hygiene contractor began disinfecting the air filters in the public air conditioning system, while increasing the inflow of fresh air to improve ventilation within the mall. Since Wednesday night, the air-conditioning system has been supplying fresh air continuously for 48 hours to help improve ventilation.
• Another round of disinfectant fogging will take place this Friday (17 July) night.

About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is a leading retail-focused REIT in the world. Listed in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link has been 100% held by public and institutional investors and is a Hang Seng Index constituent stock. From its home in Hong Kong, Link manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks and offices spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, London and Sydney. Link seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of our medium-term target Vision 2025. For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com/.