South Coast Plaza Closing For 2 Weeks After Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

COSTA MESA (CBSLA) — South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa is closing its doors for at least 14 days.

The closure - which took effect at 7 p.m. Monday - does not impact Macy's, Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's — though some are operating on modified schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The mall confirmed that a worker tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but did not immediately disclose where that person worked. It was reported that a store closed early Sunday evening.

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"Anytime something hits close to home, it makes it real," a shopper said. "When we heard that Tom Hanks had it, a lot more people were like, 'Oh my God.' And now with South Coast Plaza getting closed down, I live really close, and that's just too close to home for me."

The shopping center said in a statement that it was "with sadness" that they reported an employee at one of the stores inside the mall tested positive for coronavirus Sunday night.

"We understand the closures of public gathering places in Orange County now needs to happen as soon as possible for a chance to meaningfully stem the pandemic," the statement continued.