Any time you go to a grocery store today, you’re likely to see people managing COVID-19 risk in varying degrees. Hopefully, they are all wearing masks. But, some are also wearing gloves in an effort to avoid surface contact exposure. With evidence suggesting fomite transmission is possible for as long as a few days, depending on the specific surface material, the CDC has already changed its information on how the virus spreads to include potential exposure through surface contact.
That’s why it’s importat for all businesses to ensure their desktops , counters, door handles, and other surfaces are disinfected regularly. That’s also why many people wipe down their groceries before bringing them into their homes or cars.
Most people, though, don’t do it, which means they could potentially be exposing their themselves, families and others to the virus simply by buying food.
Smith Rosen, a UV-C product manufacturer, has developed a solution that can help all shoppers, and reduce the need for people to wipe down their food items. The company’s Sterilane product is really just a sheet of anti-microbial plastic that has been fitted with high-power UV-C strips. The sheets are bent into a semi-cylindrical shape to be fitted onto conveyor belts at checkout. The tubes then emit UV-C rays that eliminate any residual virus or other bacteria on products as the move through the tunnel, before they are placed into shopping bags.
“The secret to mitigating the spread of the coronavirus is to be proactive. Fortunately, now, the technology exists to insure that supermarket customers do not acquire coronavirus through contaminated packaging.”
Jamie Leigh Klingler, VP of Product Development, Smith Rosen
The company expects to see Sterlane actively used in supermarkets in North America next month.
Smith Rosen previously developed casino gaming dividers with similar UV-C sterilization capabilities to help casinos re-open safely. The SafePlay UV partitions use an sensor-driven UV-C wiper to clean partitions between gaming machines every time a player gets up from a seat, to ensure safety for the next player.
We’ve all changed our habits since March, including where and how often we shop. But, the one thing that doesn’t change is we need to feed our families. Being able to shop with an additional level of confidence we’re not exposing our loved ones to COVID-19 not only helps with stress, but will provide an additional preventative measure to reduce the spread of virus more broadly. Frankly, there’s no reason Sterilane shouldn’t be used in all retail stores with conveyor belts at checkout.
