The acrylic answer: Businesses prepare to reopen with help from a maze of plastic

If you walked into the Vibrant Salon and Spa two months ago, you'd be greeted by one of more than 20 staff members who would escort you to your styling chair pastmultiple customers getting haircuts, shampoos, manicures and pedicures.

But those days are gone.

The owners celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening their Fredericton business last month with their doors locked amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

And when they do reopen, it won't be business as usual.

That's evident by the mazes of Plexiglasnow mixed in with thesalon'scleanesthetic design.

"We've put a bunch of Plexiglas barriers up throughout the salon and spa," said Kristen Clark, co-owner of Vibrant Salon and Spa.

Multiple clear acrylicdividers hang from the ceiling, providing a near-invisibleboundary betweenstylingstations.

At the manicure tables, similar barriers stand tall with small openings near their base where clients can slip their hands through to have their nails done.

And at the front desk, another shieldnearly reaches the ceiling ensuring that nobody will be "speaking moistly"on staff or customers.

The acrylic material is now nearly standard at everyconveniencestore or retail business still open.

And for Clark, it's the first line of defence against the coronavirus when the shop gets the green light to reopen.

"We've also brought in a lot of hand sanitizer," said Clark. "We have gallons of it stored."

Clark hopes the upgrades will meet the regulations when theprovincialgovernment gives the go-ahead for barbershops and salons to reopen.

On reopening, Fredericton businesses might look like Plexiglas structures from within

4 years ago

Duration 2:58

This is how some Fredericton businesses will look after Plexiglas is added to keep clients and workers safe during pandemic.

Premier Blaine Higgs stated earlier this month that while he expectsbusinesswill start to open their doors again, they will only be permitted to do soas long asthey maintain strict physical-distancing measures.

Clark said there haven't been any specificregulationshanded down from the government yet to base her retrofit on, so this is her best guess. Masks, gloves and common sense will make up the rest of hergame planfor serving clients again.

"We'reextremelyconfident that this should work," said Clark.

Plexiglaspivot

Clark said she owes part of her confidenceto another local company.

Stortecin Hanwell normally designs and builds store interiors forconveniencestores and retail shopsacrossthe Maritimes.

But when the pandemic hit, the business hit a wall.

"A lot of ourprojectscame up to a dead stop," said Ed Cochrane, the owner ofStortec.

But then,Cochrane said, NB Liquor contracted his company to install acrylic barriers at their storesacrossthe province.

Then everybody wanted them.

"Probably close to 300 or 400 units have gone all over," said Cochrane, who has taken to calling them either COVIDguardsor sneezeguards.

In the last few weeks,Stortechas installed the barriers in pharmacies,conveniencestores and retail businesses.

Clark'sbusinesswas the first salon, but Cochrane expects it won't be the last.

As more stores and servicesget ready to reopen, demand for the acrylic sheets is increasing, but he said he and his team taketheir skills to heart.

"You hang a piece of Plexiglasup and [there's] a lady behind the counter who is working hard, you know, doing her best to keep her family fed," saidCochrane. "But she's afraid. Scared to death. And attheend, when they go like this andsay,'Oh, thank you,' it made me feel so good."

WhileStortec'smarketnormally spans the Atlantic provinces, the company has been hampered byprovincialborder closures.

Instead, it has beenworking to build COVID guard kits it can ship out andstore owners can install themselves. Cochranesaid one client in Cape Breton recently installeda number ofthe barriers without needing a crew from Stortecto help.

"They have five pharmacies," Cochranesaid. "We sent them 37differentpieces of acrylic to providesafetyat the front cash, at thedispensary, at the consultation, and if there happens to be a medical clinic attached there will be something there as well.

"Theguy sent us back a bunch of photographs andsaid,'This isfantastic, every piece fit.'"

Cochrane said theguardsonly account a smallfraction of the money his company would normally be making, but he said the Stortec feelsan obligation to help.

"It's a good time for us all to be kind and thoughtful of the people around us," he said. "And help make their life better is some little way."