Citi Field, which has been closed due to the coronavirus, has been slapped with a “junk” rating amid fears that it won’t be able to pay its debts.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s on Thursday downgraded Citi Field from an investment grade “BBB” rating to “BB+”, or junk status, saying it may need to tap its debt reserve to make a $22 million payment due in December — and warning that it could run out of money next year if there’s a baseball strike.

Citi Field makes two $22 million payments annually to the New York City Industrial Development Agency, which issued $612 million in bonds to build the stadium, completed in 2009 as home to the Mets.

The Wilpon family-owned Mets are technically separate from the stadium, which is paid for through sales of luxury suites, party suites, club seats, concessions and merchandise.

S&P says the Mets may seek to help the stadium make the December payment to keep its lease intact.

It might be safer to rob a bank.

Retailers across the country are boosting their defenses to protect against looting, including by hiring armed guards, planting scouts to keep watch out front and securing storefronts with barbed wire, The Post has learned.

As The Post reported on June 2, iconic department store Saks Fifth Avenue has fortified its New York City flagship with a razor wire-topped fence and security guards outfitted with attack dogs.

But sources say the trend is becoming more widespread and even hitting the normally peaceful suburbs.

Security professional Michael Sapraicone, head of Squad Security, says he’s received multiple requests by retailers looking to protect against a spate of high-profile ransackings by people looking to take advantage of nationwide civil unrest. Some of the requests are too risky to even consider, he said. “We are turning down the calls we are getting to put armed guards inside unopened stores at night,” Sapraicone told The Post.

The former NYPD detective has, however, agreed to station a security officer outside the posh Americana Manhasset shopping center in Manhasset, NY, in a parked car at the request of one of its retailers, which he declined to name.

“We are there as a deterrent and to record whatever might happen,” Sapraicone said.

This week, stores inside the tony Long Island shopping center, which boasts tenants like Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Fendi and Chanel, boarded up their windows while the shopping center’s entrances were blocked off by the Nassau County police. Restaurant operators are instructing customers to pick up their meals before 7:30 p.m., when the center now closes, including for curbside pick-up.

For shoppers, the increased security can make for an eerie day at the mall. One Orlando, Fla., resident told The Post she popped into the posh Mall at Millenia on Monday only to be met with emptied-out stores. Luxury retailers like Tiffany, Cartier and Chanel were shuttered and their merchandise yanked, said the shopper, who asked not to be named. The Chanel store had a security guard stationed inside, she added.

It’s unclear whether these stores were cleared out due to fears of looting or the coronavirus pandemic, however, and the mall didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Back in the Big Apple, one large retailer that asked not to be identified has quietly planted scores of armed guards inside its perfumed halls in case of a break-in, a source with direct knowledge told The Post.

But security professionals warn this approach can be risky, especially if it costs lives.

“It’s a terrible idea to have armed security in your stores,” said Anthony Roman, president of Roman & Associates, a risk management firm. “The risks to personnel are too high, with security becoming a target if people get inside the building.”

Adweek has a new owner, its fourth in six years.

Shamrock Capital, which traces its roots back to the family of Roy Disney, wrapped up an acquisition of the print, Web and events business from Toronto-based buyout firm Beringer Capital.

“Beringer came in with guns blazing and big plans for expansion, but once they realized how hard the business was, they turned into sellers,” said a source familiar with the company. Adweek has quietly been on the block for the past year, the source added.

Jeff Litvack is expected to remain as Adweek chief executive, as are Stephanie Paterik, executive editor, and Lisa Granatstein, editor and SVP of programs.

“We look forward to working with Adweek to continue to drive strong growth, both organically and through acquisitions.” said Laura Held, Partner at Shamrock Capital.