Whether or not you think the pandemic is over or still going, COVID is still a risk. Rather than leave protection up to individual people only, help your workers, clients and customers out by taking some protective steps at your business. Adding cut-to-size Perspex sheets to block spray from loud talking, coughing and sneezing is one way you can do this.

Perspex sheets may be necessary, anyway, as the years of the pandemic showed how simple anti-transmission actions also reduced influenza cases. As more people realize that they actually like not being sick, even from more familiar illnesses, the desire for more protective measures may grow. With Perspex in place, you'll be ready.

It's Not Just COVID

For several months after the start of the pandemic, stores, restaurants and offices installed Perspex sheets to help block the path of large droplets expelled by sneezes, speech and coughs. Lately, a lot of places have removed their Perspex sheets, but they and you could do with adding more as long as the sheets are well-placed. (Overdoing it and blocking all airflow can create pockets of stagnant air or give germs a surface to bounce off of.) This is because those barriers can help protect you and others from additional viruses like the one that causes influenza.

Remember The Swiss Cheese Model?

The Swiss cheese model says that layers of protective methods will filter out more and more risk — in this case, coronavirus germs. (Bonus: The model was created by an Australian.) Perspex sheets are one layer in that model. They block large droplets travelling with force in a forward direction (e.g., blocking droplets when someone's sneezed directly towards your face), but they don't block smaller droplets. You'll need masks and other protective methods to add more layers to the Swiss cheese model. And if someone shows up in your office or store with no mask, the Perspex offers at least one layer that is better than nothing.

Plan And Order Pre-Cut Perspex

You've got to plan placement carefully and may need to have a ventilation professional help you to ensure you don't inadvertently block good airflow when you hang up the Perspex sheets. Once you figure out where the sheets should go, measure carefully and order sheets that are pre-cut to the size you need. You're not going to have time or equipment available to cut them yourself unless you work at a factory that has the specific equipment anyway.

Remember that Perspex (and other plexiglass barriers) are only one layer of protection. Encourage masking and vaccination along with good hygiene at a minimum, too.

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