UPDATE: Empire Mall Will Open Friday In Sioux Falls

The opening of the Empire Mall will be delayed a few extra days.

Dakota News Now is reporting that the Empire Mall will open its doors this Friday, May 8th.  The original plan for the Sioux Falls mall was to re-open on Tuesday, May 5th.  The General Manager for the Empire Mall, Dan Geese tells Dakota News Now that "this delay will give tenants at the mall more time to prepare. Some stores were uncertain if they would be ready for a May 5th opening."

Due to the growing health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Empire Mall temporarily closed its doors on March 18th.

Simon Properties, the parent company of The Empire Mall, previously explained the mall will be operating under modified hours once they re-open. The operating hours will be 11:00 AM-7:00 PM Monday-Saturday and Noon to 6:00 PM on Sundays.

Besides the temporary operating hours, South Dakota's largest mall plans to limit the occupancy rate to one person per 50 square feet of space, the food court area will have a limited seating capacity, and there will be signs throughout the Empire Mall to control the foot traffic in the shopping center.