With so many businesses enforcing vigorous health and safety measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several new features that you can expect to start seeing in businesses all around the country. These measures are designed to keep everyone, both employees and customers, safe while going about their everyday lives.

Sneeze Guards

Some businesses have been using acrylic sneeze guards as protective measures for years. They are incredibly useful for separating the customer from the employee for whatever reason you may have. Sometimes, businesses in areas with high crime rates employ sneeze guards, or other, similar, guards, as protection from potential robbers or violent criminals. Since the current pandemic began, businesses have been using them as another layer of protection from the breath and saliva of others in addition to masks. If you see a sneeze guard when you are in public, do not attempt to bypass them. They are in place for a reason.

Floor Stickers

Some companies have instilled policies to try to encourage social distancing as much as possible by instructing customers on where to stand and walk. In checkout lines or any other place where people queue up for a service, there are often stickers on the floor to indicate where those waiting should stand to remain six feet apart. In retail stores, there are often arrows indicating the direction in which people should navigate the store to prevent people from meeting each other in the middle of tightly enclosed aisles.

Single-Use Products

In businesses that frequently reuse products, such as menus and silverware in restaurants, you may see an increase in the use of disposable, or single-use, products. Many restaurants are switching to disposable paper menus instead of having to sanitize the laminated menus after every use. Restaurants have to be especially conscious about keeping everything they use clean and sanitary since peoples’ hands and mouths are all over the plates, glasses, silverware, and other kitchenware that they bring to every table. If you see your waiter or waitress doing something that seems unusual, be aware that it is likely for public health and safety reasons.

Complying with whatever rules and regulations are in place is vital in a country being ravaged by a deadly virus. Your actions could impact the safety of everyone around you, so it is your responsibility to make the best and most responsible decisions to keep everyone as safe as possible.