Thai Mall Installs Foot Pedals In Elevator To Avoid COVID-19 Risk

A shopping mall in Bangkok installed innovative foot pedals in their elevators so mall goers won't have to touch the buttons. This was just one of the measures by the mall to protect its customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

People may get infected with the coronavirus if they touch a surface contaminated with the virus, and then proceed to touch their face, eyes, nose or mouth. Surfaces that people often touch, such as door knobs and elevator buttons, are particularly risk prone due to this type of contamination.

To reduce this risk, the Seacon Square department store in Bangkok offered an innovative solution so that mall goers won't have to touch the elevator buttons. When it reopened Sunday after over a month of closure, the mall elevators were outfitted with foot pedals systems on each floor.

The customers can use the pedals to hail the elevators, whether they're going up or down. Inside the elevators, which have social distancing markers, there are also pedals corresponding to each floor and even to close the door.

The mall is also enforcing other measures to protect mall goers, such as spraying disinfectant on the "touch points" in the mall, providing hand sanitizers and screening customers before they enter. Food court dining tables are also separated while shopping time is limited to just two hours.

Earlier during the pandemic, Thais also came up with creative solutions to safely press elevator buttons. For instance, some buildings placed toothpicks and cotton swabs, which can be discarded afterward, for people to use when pressing the button.

A video from last March also showed someone who pressed elevator buttons using a safety pin attached to a lighter. After pressing the elevator button using the tip of the pin, the lighter is then lit to essentially torch any contaminants.

Thai businesses also developed early innovative solutions to adjust to the new normal. For instance, a cafe built a contraption that allowed it to serve patrons their orders using a pulley system while still maintaining the recommended two-meter distance. Even street vendors were spotted handing out their customers' orders via a long stick.

As Thailand is reopening malls to gradually revive its economy, businesses and individuals will likely continue to come up with innovative ideas to adjust to the new normal.