Remember a time when people used to travel mask-less and carefree? It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic swept around the world, changing life as we knew it. Instead of traveling around the U.S. to industry events and meetings, I now sit in my home office and login to virtual conferences. And when I am out in public — usually shopping for the essentials — I avoid public restrooms like the plague.
The pandemic has affected just about every industry, but especially the commercial plumbing market. First, there were concerns of stagnation in plumbing systems as commercial buildings were shut down when states — countries even — issued stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the virus. Then, when buildings opened back up, health and hygiene considerations were top-of-mind — especially in public restrooms.