Guide to Coronavirus Signage & Placement

Guest Blog by Connie Rhind Robey, Owner of SpeedPro
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​For business owners, managers and facility owners, there are new practices and new signage needed to help employees and customers stay safe. Signage will also draw customers to your business or restaurant, which will increase your revenues.

​Here are some popular types of COVID signage and the best places to install them.
 
CAPACITY LIMITS
You can create a printed sign that says you are at capacity and set that sign out front only when it is relevant. To keep people from crowding into elevators, you may want to create signage stating how many unrelated passengers can ride together. This can be a stand-alone sign or an elevator wrap. 
 
HAND SANITIZER STATIONS
 The entrance to the building or individual space is a key place. Stands with signage make it easy for people entering to find them.​

You can create tabletop signs for bottles of hand sanitizer on reception desks or checkout counters.
Encouraging hand hygiene through vivid displays in high-visibility locations is an effective way to reduce the spread of germs in your facility.

HANDWASHING
Good signage wherever sinks are available is important.
Signs that include the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for handwashing are an excellent resource to help people wash their hands thoroughly. Place these signs right next to or above sinks, at eye level, so people will read the guidelines as they wash. You may want to create decal signs you can stick to mirrors above sinks where they will be easily visible.

You may also want to install a bright and bold sign on the inside of restroom doors to serve as a final reminder in case someone forgot to wash their hands.

FACE MASK SIGNAGE
Signs to wear a face mask should get people’s attention before they enter your space. These help with compliance as you can point to the signs if you need to enforce the rules. Window decals are a great option since you can apply them directly to your entrance or storefront.
 
SYMPTOM CHECKS
One of the most important ways people can keep public spaces safe is by staying home if they feel sick or if they have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19. You can help by installing signs that reminds people they should stay home if they could be sick.

If your business is conducting temperature checks to catch possible cases of COVID-19 among their employees, customers or patients, you’ll need bold signage that is easily visible.

DELIVERY AND CURBSIDE
If your business offers these, make sure you advertise them. For delivery services, install a large sign outside your business telling people you deliver - and be sure your delivery cars or vans have vehicle graphics indicating you deliver with the website and number to call to order.
 
For curbside pickup make it as convenient as possible with the right outdoor signs like A-Frames and flags placed strategically. You can also add permanent outdoor sign(s) where customers should park for curbside pickup. If customers need to check in via an app or call a phone number, include that information.

SOCIAL DISTANCING
The CDC recommends people practice physical distancing as a way to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in public spaces. This means maintaining a distance of 6’ between people. Posters and floor graphics showing 6’ throughout the facility are helpful in creating this distancing. They might say, “Thank you for practicing social distancing,” or, “Please keep 6 feet of distance between you and others.”
 
You can also use directional signs to help with social distancing. Place floor decals 6’ apart to show customers where to stand in line at a store checkout or a pick up location.
 
OPEN AND CLOSED Info
With businesses in varying states of being opened or with limited hours, a large outdoor sign to let the public know the status of your business is helpful to your customers.

If your business is open, create a large banner to place on your storefront, and add flags or other eye-catching signage by the road saying that you’re open. For updated hours, consider placing a window graphic on your front door listing the new hours. These graphics are easy to change out.

CLEANING SIGNAGE FOR EMPLOYEES
Another important role signage can play is instructing and reminding your employees of important new procedures. It takes time to develop new habits, like wiping down a card reader PIN pad between customers or sanitizing your desk before you leave work.

At a checkout counter, create a sign reminding the cashier to sanitize, and post it in a location that faces the employee and not the customer. In an office, you could either place small tabletop signs on each desk or you create large signs to hang on the wall or on a door where employees will see it before they leave for the day: For example: “Wait! Did you remember to wipe down your desk?”
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For new cleaning procedures in a restaurant, create a large sign with a step-by-step guide and post it prominently on the wall where employees can refer to it while they clean. You can also include these signs on restroom walls. Knowing your business is taking cleaning measures seriously will instill confidence in your customers.

- Connie Rhind Robey, Owner of SpeedPro