They say that you either learn from history or you repeat it. With the nature and severity of COVID-19 increasing and adapting daily it is more important than ever to look to the past for advice, after all hindsight is 2020. While the viruses are very different, many journalists are drawing eerie parallels between the COVOID-19 pandemic and the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.
During September 1918, in the midst of the pandemic, cities around the US were planning parades to promote liberty bonds which were being sold to help pay for World War I. While the city of Saint Louis, Missouri opted to cancel their parade and introduce limits on social gatherings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania held their parade. One month later more than 10,000 people in Philadelphia had died of Spanish flu, while the number of fatalities in Saint Louis Stayed below 700. While the parade was not the only reason for the difference in death rates, just over 100 years later as the world faces another global pandemic these figures are used by analysts to showcase the importance of social distancing measures.
By using trends of past diseases and analyzing what we know about COVID-19, it is likely that there will be no “return to normal.” Based on new computer modeling research from Harvard University, forms of social distancing may need to be maintained into 2022 in the US unless other interventions such as vaccines, drug therapies and aggressive quarantine measures can be put into place.
So what does this mean for your business? With measures of social distancing likely to be long lasting, the way businesses operate will have to grow and adapt – there’s no going back to normal. “We won’t have a grand opening of Pennsylvania. It will be a slow approach,” said Pennsylvania’s health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine.
Instead of back to normal, people should expect a “new normal,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “A restaurant you may go into, they have tables that are only partially full,” he said. Sporting events may be televised only. “You will have no in-person crowds,” he predicted.
So what now?
When this pandemic hit the nation businesses who were able moved to working from home, restaurants moved to delivery and curbside pickup, grocery stores implemented one direction shopping and many businesses were forced to shut their doors completely. The speed and intensity that this pandemic hit left businesses scrambling. Due to the initial predictions of a temporary 30 day quarantine, businesses sought out the cheapest solutions to remain open. Big establishments relied on corporate, small businesses found inexpensive temporary solutions, and while this is a temporary issue, it is going to last awhile.
If you view society coming back to normal on a dimmer switch, incrementally returning to full potential, you can start to plan for a future where your business exists in coordination with increased social distance. For some this may be maintaining curbside pickup rather than traditional pickup, it may mean only entering the office when necessary, it may mean continued limits on individuals in stores and public places.
We do not know what exactly the future holds, but we do know that your signage needs to withstand the test of time. While the cheap DIY solutions you came up with may work for 30 days, will they hold up for over a year and are they truly reflecting the image of your business?
As a full service sign and design company we are here to help your company grow and adapt to this new normal. From high quality temporary signage to more permanent signage, we are your one stop shop for all your signage needs. Our design team will work with you to create the safety signage that projects you brand. We strive to keep your business open and our community safe!
If you are interested in learning more about how signage can help your business emerge into societies “new normal” give us a call! We are here to help!
The constant change and looming uncertainty is scary, we are in that boat with you! As a small business we are working to keep our doors open, and the best way we can do that is by helping you! Right now more than ever small businesses need to support each other and we need to keep business local.
We are going to get through this as a community! We are resilient!
Here at Paramount Signs – Getting you noticed (and keeping our community safe) is PARAMOUNT!
