THE mall at Marina Bay Sands will be open only to loyalty programme members when retail operations start again on Friday, the integrated resort operator has said.

Visitors' access to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands will be restricted for now, "in order to ensure safe-distancing measures and limits in capacity are adhered to" amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, said a statement from Marina Bay Sands on Wednesday.

The restriction is in place "during this initial phase", said the operator, without offering details on how long the period of limited mall access would last.

But the company added that shoppers who are not members "are encouraged to sign up for Sands Rewards Lifestyle membership online before visiting Marina Bay Sands". 

Eateries operated directly by Marina Bay Sands, as well as venues such as the hotel, casino, ArtScience Museum and convention centre, will remain shut until further notice.

"As it will take time for individual retailers to ramp up their operations, some may not be open immediately, in particular tenanted (food and beverage) outlets," the company also noted.

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Marina Bay Sands is also deploying a mandatory system called "MBS SafeEntry", which will be synchronised with the public sector's SafeEntry record-keeping system.

Patrons and staff are to check in to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands using either their Sands Rewards Lifestyle or Sands Rewards Club membership details or their NRIC numbers.

Retailers islandwide are now gearing up to resume operations, as the Republic moves on Friday to the next phase of its three-stage re-opening after a two-month "circuit breaker" in April and May.

Marina Bay Sands parent Las Vegas Sands Corp most recently reported that footfall at Marina Bay Sands was down by 36 per cent year on year for the three months to March 31, 2020.

The Singapore integrated resort posted revenue of US$612 million for that period, against US$767 million in the corresponding period the year before.