A tailor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, pins a customer’s suit through a plexiglass folding screen with space for hands to fit through as a protective measure.heading out for groceries, a manicure or a casual drink or bite with friends was easy. That’s definitely not the case now. Work, shopping and everything social have become complicated and entail vigilant planning—and social distancing.
As businesses and public spaces reopen across the country and the world, one of the most striking welcome mats are the nearly ubiquitous acrylic sheets installed as protective barriers just about everywhere: supermarkets, salons, restaurants, senior living centers and now even casinos and farms. All of this is leading to a boom for many manufacturers of the material. Plexiglas, the best-known company making these sheets, says that sales have doubled since the start of the pandemic.
Prototypes of clear acrylic safety shield dividers are tested at slot machines and tables at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.A worker prepares a methacrylate plastic screen at Polimer Tecnic, a producer and supplier of plastic materials in Girona, Spain.MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images
A technician installs a plexiglass shield around the checkout at a Spring Township, Pennsylvania convenience store.
CarolineLHoward Wow
CarolineLHoward Cool job
CarolineLHoward Whatever gets us moving again. The precautions will evolve as we better understand the virus.