Wayne United Methodist Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania found a creative way to enforce social distancing during the Covid-19 outbreak. They used 8″ x 8″ x 72″ blocks of expanded polystyrene weighing less than 3 pounds each to create “Social Distancers” in the church pews. The lightweight EPS blocks were covered in 3 mil polyethylene tubing for easy sanitizing between services.
The distancer rests on the pew until someone sits down beside it. After being seated the congregant slides the distancer over next to them which creates the greatest amount of seating possible at the other end of the pew while maintaining the recommended six feet of separation. This process allows them to make the best use of the socially distanced 6-person/pew seating capacity in worship.
