Uniqlo Will Not Open Stores Tomorrow; High-Touch Surfaces To Be Treated With Self-Disinfecting Nano Coating

Uniqlo just announced that they will reopen their 26 stores in phases starting tomorrow (June 24).

The stores reopening on June 24 are:

• ION
• Tampines 1
• Parkway Parade
• Plaza Singapura
• City Square Mall
• Bedok Mall
• Changi Airport T1
• Kallang Wave Mall
• NEX
• The Seletar Mall
• Waterway Point
• Tiong Bahru Plaza
• PLQ Mall

The remaining stores will reopen on June 26, Friday. More details on the reopening schedule, operating hours and safety measures are on their website.

(Updated June 23)

In a refreshing twist, here's a brand that's in no hurry to re-open the minute Phase 2 starts. Uniqlo Singapore tells 8days.sg, "We are not rushing to open on June 19. The health and safety of our employees and customers are of utmost importance to us. As a first step, we will undertake a thorough cleaning of the stores, and set up safety measures such as SafeEntry and safe distancing markers, ahead of re-opening.

We are planning for a phased re-opening of our stores next week, and we will announce details over the course of next week. We are grateful to our customers for continuing to engage with us during this difficult period, and we cannot wait to welcome you back into our stores."

Respect. We guess they are taking the extra time to thoroughly clean everything, and to employ some high-tech anti-virus measures. According to a statement, all shared tools and devices in their stores, such as working iPads and iPods, will be treated with a self-disinfecting nano coating. All high-touch areas, such as shopping baskets, the cashier area, and fitting room surfaces will also be treated with the self-disinfecting nano coating.

We're guessing this coating is similar to the self-disinfecting coating that has been applied to HDB lift buttons.

You'll have to wait a little longer to shop again in Uniqlo stores here. Pic of the Orchard Central store; courtesy of Todayonline.

And yes, you can still try on clothes, though customers are highly encouraged to avoid trying on clothes to minimise contact. Fitting rooms will be disinfected after each use and the brand is exploring alternatives to ensure that the shopping experience is safe and comfortable for shoppers. If purchased items do not fit, customers have up to 30 days to do a return or exchange.

The other usual safety measures apply: Temperature monitoring and hand sanitisers for staff and customers, masks and face shields for staff, and social distancing for staff and customers, and encouraging the use of contactless payment. There will also be a limit to the number of customers allowed in the store at any time (One customer per 10 sqf), and no more than 5 people in a group will be allowed.

Stay tuned to find out when Uniqlo stores will re-open next week. Meanwhile, there's always https://www.uniqlo.com/sg/store.

Main pic courtesy of Todayonline.