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A Mall Just Reopened in Nebraska. And People Went to Shop.

The mall owner bought masks and thermometers for the stores but didn’t require them to be used—and reporters who came to cover it were kicked off the property.

A mall in Gretna, Nebraska, reopened Friday—a day after the state reported its highest daily number of new cases yet. A dozen shoppers showed up before the doors opened at Nebraska Crossing Outlet, which bought infrared thermometers and masks for the 11 open stores but was not requiring them to be used. In fact, the Omaha World-Herald reported that one of the entrance checkpoints did not have anyone staffing it when a reporter checked—and two media outlets were ordered off the property. The reopening came a week later than planned, after a public backlash. Gov. Pete Ricketts declined to ask the mall owner, one of his political donors, to stay closed while coronavirus is still spreading across his state. That was fine with Tina and Ollie Jones, who told the World-Herald they wanted to buy shoes. “I was getting tired of being cooped up,” Tina said.