Social distancing sign

Laminated A3 poster "Thinking metres? Think in Peters", a social distancing sign from Canterbury District Health Board, Te Poari Hauora ō Waitaha, featuring Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Team Leader, Peter who is two metres tall, used during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand, 2020

Beginning in April 2020, the Thinking metres? Think in Peters was the physical distancing campaign at Canterbury District Health Board, Te Poari Hauora ō Waitaha. Affectionately known as ‘2 metre Peter’ due to his 6ft 5 height, MRI Team Leader Peter Dooley became a visual reminder of how far apart staff should be.

Distances can be difficult to visualise so many places used items such as images of animals or furniture to get the message across. It was also a light-hearted way to remind people of COVID-19 rules at a time when much was unknown about coronavirus and many countries went into lockdowns. Physical or social distancing measures are used as one of the measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.