South Coast Plaza closing for 2 weeks after store employee tests positive for coronavirus

The Costa Mesa mall will shutter at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, according to a memo sent to its tenants.

The retail giant South Coast Plaza will close for two weeks after learning a store employee had tested positive with the coronavirus.

The Costa Mesa shopping center told tenants it would shut at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16 with plans to reopen March 31. In a memo to its tenants, the mall did not identify which store was involved in the virus discovery, but mall representatives noted it closed Sunday evening.

“It is with sadness that we report that an employee in one of our stores at the center received news last night of testing positive,” the memo states. “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. … In light of the news, we have made the difficult decision to close the center to the public.”