Keeping Us Safe (English)
Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection
Installation Images
Face Shield, 60.5 cm x 45.5 cm
Temporary Identification badge, 16 cm x 6.7 cm
City of Toronto Information Signage (Park), 60.5 cm x 45.5 cm
City of Toronto Information Signage (Stay Apart), 60.5 cm x 45.5 cm
PPE Medical Isolation Gown, 64 cm x 101.6 cm
A collection of objects related to Covid-19; a sign
demonstrating how to keep a safe distance from another person,
an ID badge, a yellow medical gown, and a plastic face shield.
A rectangular piece of clear plastic with rounded bottom
corners. A blue band at the top has large text in the middle
that reads, “Face Shield.” On the left of the label, smaller
text reads, “Warm Notice: Only used for daily protection,
kitchen protection. Please remove the outer protective film
before using.” On the right of the label, a bulleted list reads,
“Anti-fog face shield. Protect full face from droplets, saliva,
splash, oil, dust. Good elasticity and light weight. Adjustable
headband relieves pressure.”
A vertical paper badge in a plastic sleeve with a metal clip on
top,. It is about the size of a deck of cards. The badge is
mostly white with a light green band on the top and bottom. The
top band says “Toronto” in big letters and underneath,
“Long-Term Care Homes and Services.” In the middle white section
it says, “Richard Gerrard,” and the green band on the bottom
says, “Redeployed Staff.”
A white vertical sign, the size of a poster, with two bright red
square bands at the top that says, “Covid-19 Alert. CLOSED. Due
to Covid-19 all park amenities, including playgrounds, are
closed.” Beneath that in black text, it reads, “To help stop the
spread of Covid-19, residents should stay home, except for
essential travel. Practice good physical distancing - two meters
apart or about the length of a hockey stick. For more:
toronto.ca/COVID-19.” With the city of Toronto’s logo at the
bottom.
A white vertical sign, the size of a poster, demonstrating how
to keep a safe distance from another person. In the top half of
the sign, two blue people icons stand apart from each other with
a double sided arrow in between them labeled, “6 ft (2 m).”
Below that it reads, “Do your part. Stay apart,” in blue then
red text. Below that, in smaller text, it reads, “Keep a
distance of 6 ft (2 m) from others.” With the city of Toronto’s
logo in our lower left hand corner and the website
toronto.ca/COVID19 in our lower right. The sign has nail holes
in the corners and is slightly weathered and torn.
A folded up lemon yellow disposable medical gown made from a
thin synthetic material. The material is stiff and holds its
creases as if it’s just been removed from a box. The neck line
is wide and stitched with white thread, long ties made from the
same material hang off the neck and waist line. The left sleeve
is folded over the stomach, an elastic band at the wrist bunches
the fabric.
Installation Details
These artifacts were collected by City of Toronto staff members during the pandemic. While they were redeployed and working elsewhere, they collected many different kinds of objects knowing we would one day reflect on how they changed the landscape of our daily lives.
Memorable examples that visually transformed our environments are two City of Toronto information signs: Do Your Part / Stay Apart and About the Length of a Hockey Stick.
Richard Gerrard, a Historian with the City, was redeployed to work in long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic to cover unplanned staff absences due to illness and COVID-19 isolation requirements. Acquired into the collection were Gerrard’s personal protective equipment (PPE) daily kit: medical isolation gown, face shield, and temporary identification.
All objects acquired in 2020 and provided by the Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection.