Athletic arenas, stadiums and even youth sports centers have shuttered their doors to large crowds amid COVID-19, yielding a massive, growing revenue loss for a major American industry and contributing to thousands of layoffs nationwide. However, analysts say a new scientific breakthrough could soon put an end to the extended timeout.
In addition to mask-wearing and social distancing, ensuring that viruses can’t live on high-traffic surfaces is crucial to keeping in-person sports safe, particularly as new research shows SARS-CoV-2 can outlive influenza on surfaces by 10 days.
While conventional disinfectants can’t guarantee full coverage, and they leave surfaces immediately vulnerable to recontamination, a new product called SurfaceWise2 from biotechnology company Allied BioScience, is offering optimism that sports facilities could soon safely reopen to fans. Replacing the need for constant “COVID-style” deep cleans, it is the first and only surface coating approved by the EPA for continuous protection against COVID-19 with a single application, making safety more reliable and more efficient. Only approved for use in Texas so far, the nation is still awaiting promised fast-tracked approval for broader use in facilities like sports arenas, especially as the second wave of COVID-19 cases approaches just in time for flu season.
“In high-traffic arenas and sports facilities where contamination is persistent and pervasive, conventional cleaning methods, just don’t cut it,” says Daryl Johnston, senior sports advisor for Allied BioScience and FOX News NFL game analyst. “To rebuild the $100 billion U.S. sports industry, the long-lasting, EPA-approved surface coating SurfaceWise2 is the most effective way to protect stadiums, locker rooms and training facilities, and keep players and fans safe.”
Beyond the novel coronavirus, SurfaceWise2 is also effective against the common cold and bacteria that plague sports facilities, including MRSA, streptococcus (strep throat), E. coli and fungi, as well as the influenza virus.
So how does SurfaceWise2 work differently than conventional cleaning? Compatible with virtually all surfaces, it’s applied via an electrostatic sprayer for efficient, complete and uniform treatment. Droplets are small — 900 times smaller than an average droplet — and applied at a force of 75 times greater than gravity, causing a “wraparound effect,” and a natural force of attraction between the sprayed droplets and target surfaces. Unlike conventional cleaning and disinfection, which leave surfaces vulnerable to recontamination immediately, once SurfaceWise2 is applied, its long-lasting antiviral coating physically breaks down the cells of bacteria and viruses that land on treated surfaces, effectively and continuously killing them without giving the bacteria a chance to mutate and build up resistance.
SurfaceWise2 has undergone rigorous review and carries the lowest toxicity rating by the EPA, ensuring it is very safe for humans. Non-toxic, non-irritating, odorless and containing no chemicals that produce harmful vapors or gases, the solution can be used in all areas occupied by athletes, industry workers and fans, even in enclosed spaces. To learn more, visit www.surfacewise.com.
As scientists continue working on developing a viable vaccine, restoring the ability of businesses to operate safely will be key in tackling joblessness and revitalizing the economy in the meantime. When it comes to industries that rely on drawing a crowd, new science presents new hope.
