Black Friday in the pandemic: Hours, precautions at NJ malls for 2020

With the holiday shopping season upon us, New Jersey malls have tightened their extra sanitizing and safety protocols, to help address the need of shoppers amid COVID-19.

Bridgewater Commons Marketing Director Tom Kovacic said the mall in Somerset County continues its enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of touch-points within common areas, restrooms, handrails, escalators, and elevators using EPA-approved sanitation chemicals and following CDC guidelines.

This year also involves indoor capacity limits — 50% of each store's maximum capacity at a time as of Tuesday — during the continued pandemic, as well as socially distanced Santa visit experiences at malls around the state.

According to Freehold Raceway Mall, peaking shopping hours during the holiday season are Fridays through Sundays, 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and the mall recommends avoiding crowds by shopping its earlier or late extended hours.

The following is a roundup of each mall's hours of operation on Black Friday and the weeks leading up to Christmas, Dec. 25.