The Please give me space initiative is designed to alert members of the public that they should keep their distance from people wearing the ‘Please give me space’ symbol, as the wearer has difficulty maintaining social distance.

The symbol can be downloaded free of charge from the government website in the form of a badge or card, and is also available on the Please give me space website, where you can buy lanyards, face masks and more.

Displaying the symbol will hopefully help people who find social distancing challenging, and help other members of the community understand their situation, in turn reducing instances of complicated or conflictive situations surrounding social distancing.

Peter Middleton, an Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador, described his experience of the lanyard initiative on the Alzheimer’s Society website “’My lanyard gives me more confidence as it broadcasts to people that I am prone to make mistakes and allows them to be more understanding. I don’t wear my lanyard every time I go out, but I always have it in my pocket in case I get into a situation where I feel vulnerable.”