COVID-19 precautions keep sign-making businesses busy in P.E.I.

Sign makers in P.E.I. have been busy since the province announced its plans to ease backCOVID-19 restrictions, as businesses are ordering signs and decals ahead of reopening.

"We are extremely busy right now with signage around COVID," said Mike Savidant, general manager of Sign Craft in Charlottetown.

Prior to the April announcement around the ease back, Savidant said hehad to lay off three people about 40 per cent of his total staff but over the last two weeks business has picked up.

"It already has led to bringing one person back full time," he said.

Signs for handwashing, physical distancing

Among the orders coming in at Sign Craft are warning signs highlighting handwashing and decals for the floors of grocery stores to back upphysical distancing guidelines.

"We've seen a huge spike in the acrylic safety partitions for service desks and cash lanes for different retailers," Savidant said.

Savidant said Sign Craft has installed safety partitions for all the Loblaws stores on P.E.I. and Bumper to Bumper locations in Montague and Stratford.

"We've got a huge amount still in the queue to do right now but we have been approached by professional offices, dentists officers, retailers of all sorts," he said.

"With the COVID signage, if this continues at the pace we have been at the last week and a half that will far outweigh anything we would have lost due to event signage like festivals."

Sign City, also in Charlottetown, has also seen an increase in orders related to the pandemic.

"Every other call we get is concerned with some kind of COVID signage," said managersaid Wayne Beaton.

He said Sign City has done work for Parks Canada and harbour authorities already and gets inquires daily.Heis also busy with orders for directional or physical distancing floor decals, informative signs about the pandemic and safety barriers.

"I think it is only going to increase over the past couple of weeks as people start to put their opening plans together."

Extra precautions

The pandemic has also changed the way some things are done at Sign Craft. Savidant said a safety partition was installed at the store. Orders are only accepted by email or over the phone.

"Somebody has to come pick something up, we established a drop box, a pick-up box outside," he said.

Beatonis also taking precautions to ensure the safety of his own staff. The work area is big to allow social distancing, staff are sanitizing more often and up until this week the front entrance was locked so customers couldn't enter.

Concerns about supply

With orders up, Savidant and Beaton said supply could be impacted.

"A lot of the items we need specifically the floor decal material that has the non-slip lament or even the acrylic sheets even our suppliers are having a hard time getting them because there is such a huge demand across the country," Savidant said.

Beaton said it has been "a little bit slower than normal" to receive deliveries

"The plexiglass now seems to be becoming a more in demand product. So I suspect that we probably will have some supply problems in the future," he said. "I hope not but I know everybody around the world is looking for it now.".

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.
• Cough.
• Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

Health Canada has built aself-assessment tool.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.
• Practisephysical distancing.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on thefederal government's website.

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