Simple and instant social distancing/control for all retail
store fronts.
Reopening the economy while maintaining safe social
distancing is a challenge for retail businesses that do not
have an appointment based system already in place.
While doctor’s offices can mandate visitor density by
appointment; other non-essential retail fronts and large
footprint retail spaces need an accessible, efficient, and
easy way for crowd control.
This issue can be resolved by any customer by simply
visiting the “covid-safe-visitor” domain name on their
smart phone. This website uses two common built in
features (geo location & cookies) available on all
smartphone and web browser platforms (Apple iOS,
Android, etc.). The website will allow the user to:
* View a map & search retail store fronts.
* Save (or delete) a visitor time block when they would
like to visit.
* View a list of their existing approved time blocks.
* Display a safe “green light” web page to the retailer
upon visiting the retail store; the page will turn color as
their time block expires.
Retailers can verify a valid customer visitor by asking
them to show their “green light” web page at the store
front; not unlike a Costco card membership. The web
page will automatically turn yellow or red as the
customer’s approved visitor time block expires.
The website is geolocation aware and automatically
displays the “green/red light” status when a user
approaches the retail front. Further verification and
enforcement appears on the web page with a unique QR
code inside a shaped border for red-green colorblind
accessible users (square for “go”, diamond for “expiring
soon”, circle for “stop, expired”. The QR code allows
additional verification if needed or to open optionally
equipped sliding front doors. Color & shape allows a
retailer to validate customers at a distance.
Government or retail owners can access the “covid-safe-
visitor” domain to enforce and view customer visitor-
per-hour limitations for their given store front. Semi-
anonymous cookies allow for potential contact tracing
research and identify repeating violators or ineffective
enforcement.
The website should feature a user friendly experience:
* Responsive website design
* Use google maps to display store locations and hours
* Near real-time AJAX with geolocation updates
* Automatically shows status within a geofence; no need
fumble appointment times
* Displays a colored timeline for users to select least
crowded time blocks
The pandemic has prevented bringing back a fully open
American economy while maintaining safety. Retail
fronts can recover costs by using a simple government
and/or local enforced “covid-safe-visitor” domain with
little to no setup. Customers can ensure safer visits,
avoid crowds, and practice manageable social distancing
in various retail environments and store footprint sizes.
Retailers can better control visitor access and even
pause, prioritize, or increase customer access in real
time, if need be or to address safety concerns using
notifications (I.e. in America, active shooters, a fire, or
to clear areas for first responders).