If you've ventured out to the grocery store or gone to go pick up take-out, you may have seen some great or some less-than-ideal examples of social distancing.
Oil City Signs in St. Albert is hoping to get the point across by selling signs and floor decals to reinforce the trend.
Social distancing refers to direction from health professionals to keep at least two metres (six feet) between you and other people, in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Oil City Signs' products are intended to be used in essential businesses like hospitals, grocery stores, or other places where lines can form.
"We recognize a lot of our customers may not be open and may not require that, but those that do, we want to make sure that these are made available for them," said Julie Quantz-Kovac, owner of Oil City Signs.
Informational roll-up banners and decals will have reminders to follow public health safety protocols, like washing your hands often.
Large visual boards will also be available to let more people know at a glance whether or not a business is open or closed. Social distancing squares and lines can be placed on the floor to remind customers to keep enough space between each other.
"It just takes one bad customer and that just gives you a scare and makes you want to close your doors. People need to be reminded before they walk in as to what the expectations are. As much as we're being told that, there are still some people that need that reminder," Quantz-Kovac said.
March is typically the busier month for Oil City Signs, but because of the pandemic, sales have dropped about 90 per cent in comparison to this time last year, Quantz-Kovac said.
Most of Oil City Signs' clients are retail and business owners, some of which have had to close temporarily. As a family-owned business themselves, having to lay off employees was especially difficult, she said.
"It's definitely been an emotional couple of weeks," she said. "Our focus is that we stay viable over these next few months so that they'll have jobs to come back to."
Creating signage around COVID-19 not only keep the machines at Oil City Signs running, but it's a way for the business to give back to the community.
"We've seen it in other states and countries where sign shops are doing this pivot so we can supply what is needed," she said.
"As a business community, we do need to come together, we need to support each other in the ways we see possible. I really hope we see everybody get through this as a small business – I know how hard it is."
