COVID-19 Protection: Ohio Restaurant Puts Shower Curtains Between Tables For Social Distancing

As Ohio prepares to reopen restaurants for dining in, a small eatery is putting up clear shower curtains between tables to ensure social distancing among its customers.

The measure is part of the COVID-19 protection devised by the owners of Twisted Citrus in North Canton, Ohio. The installation of the plastic shower curtains is an innovation of the guidelines set by Gov. Mike DeWine, which states that tables at restaurants must be six feet apart or must have an actual barrier.

"Six feet between tables would have limited us to maybe eight to 10 tables, which financially would not have made it worthwhile to open back up for us," Kim Shapiro, the owner of Twisted Citrus, told CNN.

Shapiro said that she was inspired to use the clear shower curtains after seeing a restaurant in Italy with a Plexiglass to divide the tables. She considered installing the same feature but decided that the restaurant could do better with a retractable barrier so that the diners won't feel quite boxed in. The clear shower curtains could also be easily sprayed and sanitized before new customers are seated.

"We will take them down at the end of every shift and run them through the dish and sanitation, and in-between seatings they will be sprayed down with Lysol," the restaurant owner said.

Admittedly, this new normal in operating a restaurant is posing a big challenge for Twisted Citrus and other establishments. Apart from installing the shower curtains and re-sanitizing the premises, they had to repaint the restaurant and provide their staff with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Shapiro said that she's not sure if reopening the business will be a success since the threat of the virus is still there. Per the Ohio Department of Health, there are 21,121 positive cases and 1,271 death as of May 11.

"I don't really know what the appetite is for the customers who will come back to visit us," she said. "I figure it's always a good problem to have if we have to add tables than take them away."

Ohio’s restaurants will gradually open as part of the governor’s plan. For Mother’s Day, some offered takeaway, pick-up, and delivery services. By May 15, restaurants may start accepting diners for outdoor seating then indoor seating would be allowed with some limitations by May 21.