Why Your Business Needs A Sneeze Guard Barrier
Amid the worst pandemic in modern society, it is imperative to not only abide by CDC regulations but to go above and beyond in making sure that you keep your employees and customers safe. COVID-19 has created a new normal for social distancing practices and personal protective equipment, such as face masks and gloves. Across the board, industries have had to reimagine what their workday looks like so they can stay in business while ensuring customer and employee safety.
No one knows how long this pandemic will last, with every day bringing new waves of reported cases and skyrocketing numbers. It is of vital importance that we all do our part in protecting ourselves and others in any way we can. If you are still opening your doors to customers, then you may need to consider a sneeze guard social distancing barrier to make person-to-person interactions safer.
A Little About Sneezes
You know what a sneeze is because you sneeze — everyone sneezes. But why would your sneezes need to be blocked by a face mask and barrier? According to the American Lung Association, sneezes and coughs are your body’s way of releasing irritants found in the nose and lungs. Getting rid of the irritants that are found in the nose and lungs in such violent methods, however, involves spreading germs in a large spray of saliva, mucus, and germs. A cough can travel as fast as 50 mph and expel almost 3,000 droplets in just one go. Sneezes are even more powerful, traveling up to 100 mph and creating upwards of 100,000 droplets.
To try and get control over the COVID-19 outbreak, public health officials have emphasized the importance of social distancing, but for many organizations that cannot manage to keep people six or more feet apart due to the nature of the business, tools like shields and masks are the only way to effectively limit the spread of pathogens. Sneeze barriers work best when they are used alongside other proven methods, like enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices, social distance measures, PPE, and drastic changes to how services are provided.
Vital for Limiting Contamination and Spread of COVID-19
For many businesses, person-to-person interaction is a part of the job, like hair salons, nail salons, restaurants, teaching, journalism, counseling, and so many more. While many of these industries have yet to come up with creative ways to limit their interaction with others, or are simply relying on face masks — an effective way to limit the passing of the virus and bacteria — other industries are able to rely on sneeze guards. If you have walked into convenience stores, grocery stores, or posts offices, you might have already seen these barriers in action. Sneeze guards originated from the foodservice industry for germ protection at buffets and other self-service environments, but are proving as one of the best practices for COVID-19 protection.
Sneeze guards and other similar barriers are being deployed more and more in settings to help stop the spread of COVID-19 as well as to comply with social distancing requirements in places of high person-to-person interaction, like check-out lanes. While sneeze guard barriers aren’t medical divides, they do have PPE qualities that contribute to transmission slowdown — even if a customer and employee aren’t wearing masks, which isn’t advised and should not be encouraged.
The Design of Sneeze Guards
The most effective sneeze guards are tall and wide enough to protect the individuals on either side of the barrier, covering the full interaction. Sneeze guard barriers need to be able to withstand the rigors of frequent deep cleaning, using very hot temperatures, pressurized wash downs, and specific cleaning agents, like ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol. Ammonia, and soap solutions, which are all cleaning agents specifically recommended by the CDC to fight against the coronavirus.
Left Coast Original provides high-quality, durable sneeze guards that are made from a thicker polycarbonate, 1/4 -inch, that come with a 12-inch by 6-inch opening at the bottom for cash or card interactions. If you do not want the opening, just let us know. You can choose from a selection of barrier sizes — the smallest being 18 inches tall by 24 inches wide, and the largest being 36 inches tall and 48 inches wide — fully protecting both the employee and the customer. Further, you have the option to engrave a message at the top right corner.
The Bottom Line
No one knows what the new normal is going to look like once the COVID-19 lockdown ends. The adjustments made during the lockdown may be permanent to ensure the prolonged safety of everyone. Practices like the habitual washing of hands, sneeze shield, and the wearing of masks are all extremely efficient ways of keeping people healthy and safe, and really should be underestimated. Left Coast Original believes in taking the correct measures to ensure that customers and employees are kept safe. We are proud to also provide you with highly-quality face masks that allow for easy breathing while also allowing for the prevention of passing germs and pathogens. Take a look at some face masks and sneeze guards and do your part in limiting the spread of COVID-19 today.