Many are wondering when malls will reopen in Ontario and across Canada, and while there's no definitive dates in many of the provinces, major retail spaces are gearing up to reopen for a very different kind of shopping experience.

Ontario is moving through the first stage of restarting its economy, which will take at least two to four weeks if new case numbers continue to fall.

This includes allowing retailers that are able to follow health and safety guidelines to reopen for curbside pickup as of May 11.

Cadillac Fairview, which owns 19 malls across Canada including the Eaton Centre in Toronto, has been working with retailers to prepare for reopening. This includes ensuring physical distancing measures for employees and hygiene and sanitation protocols are being followed.

According to the Eaton Centre's website, select retailers with exterior entrances are available for curbside pickup, including Best Buy, Hudson's Bay and Nordstrom.

Malls consist of mostly non-essential workplaces, and the ones inside them that are deemed essential were never actually closed.

The plan to reopen malls in Canada is province-specific and since some provinces are a bit further ahead at reopening their economy, malls have already started to open in certain cities. 

The Polo Park shopping centre in Winnipeg, for example, reopened for non-essential retailers on May 4.

On the east coast, New Brunswick has also started to reopen its shopping centres with physical distancing measures in place. Customers are asked to wear masks whenever possible and to follow health and safety guidelines.

Meanwhile, Calgary plans to reopen its malls this Thursday as part of the first stage of Alberta's reopening plan that varies across the province.

Retail stores inside malls in Quebec are not yet allowed to reopen but certain ones outside of the Montreal area have already been given the green light.

British Columbia's newly unveiled reopening plan suggests that it will see retail stores reopen by mid-May, but it's unclear if that will include malls.

As for Ontario, the next stage in the province's reopening plan suggests that more retail stores might soon be able to reopen.

Right now, both Cadillac Fairview and individual stores within its malls are in the process of developing plans that will allow them to reopen to the public under strict guidelines. 

These measures may include reduced store hours, security, cleaning and hygiene practices, temperature checks for employees, signage, closing or modifying some amenities, one-way traffic in certain areas and dividing mall entrances into entry only and exit only doors.