LONDON (Reuters] – New York’s Domino Park made a remarkable success of COVID-19. With a 99 can of paint, they created a social distancing circle painted in public areas. This has shown that radical rules are possible when there is a good deal of support.

It would have seemed unimaginable to see New Yorkers sitting in neatly drawn circles on grass before the pandemic. But, the idea was quickly adopted by the world and spread rapidly.

“Everybody was really yearning for guidance that fit within their daily life and was also something that made sense for them to follow – and the circles happened to be that,” Michael Lampariello, director of Domino Park, said in an interview at  the  Reuters Next conference.

Domino Park, a public park of 5 acres located in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood.

Lampariello stated that his overnight experiment using a discount can of paint by his team tapped into people’s desire to be responsible in public places, and not to risk spreading the virus.

“We immediately started getting requests and emails for additional information from parks all over the world,” he said.

This idea has been replicated in many cities, including Santiago and Sydney. The success of the project showed that even rules which normally regulate city planning are subject to rapid change.

What would New Yorkers do if they had known the rules prior to the pandemic.

Lampariello claimed that it would have not worked out as well.