Little did we know back in March how long the lockdown was going to last or what lay ahead in our fight to contain the life-threatening virus, Covid-19.
And although lockdown continues, there have been relaxations in the restrictions which means an increase in the movement of people through urban and public places.
This has made it more important than ever to ensure that public spaces are safe, with governments doing everything possible to prevent the transmission of the virus. This is what will keep the R rate down and ultimately help us defeat the virus.
It is known that the Coronavirus can live on some surfaces for up to nine days and municipalities, landowners, and their contractors, need to take this into account when planning their sanitisation programmes. Unless public spaces are sanitised regularly, then transmission of the virus will continue as long as people continue to use them. The big question is this: how do we keep public places safe for people to use and enjoy once again, without using harmful toxic chemicals? To avoid a second wave of the virus, it will be imperative to get this right.
British company Weedingtech offers a solution with Foamstream, a thermal system originally developed to kill weeds. Foamstream is now also widely used internationally to maintain & decontaminate public places by deep cleaning and sanitising them, effectively neutralizing viruses and preventing their transmission in the process. In 2019 Foamstream was tested and approved for controlling viruses (inc. Hepatitis C) on outdoor surfaces, with testing following PREN 16777:2014, the European standard with which all biocides have to comply. Foamstream proved to be a very effective way to neutralise Hepatitis-C, preventing its transmission. Given its mode of action, the science indicates that Foamstream is equally effective in neutralising Covid-19, thus reducing its transmission, making public places safer for us all.
Consider the places that need to be sanitised so they are safe for public use. Everywhere from parks to playgrounds, schools to sports facilities, hospital and universities, city centres to cemeteries and any other outdoor areas that may experience high levels of human contact. Authorities and municipalities need to be certain that any method they chose to clean and sanitise these public areas, will help in preventing transmission of the virus, without exposing people to harmful chemicals.
Weedingtech’s Foamstream technology emits near-boiling water (98°C) covered by an insulating biodegradable foam made from natural plant oils and sugars. The foam retains the heat in the water so, the heat can work effectively to neutralize its target. The Foamstream process can be used on all kinds of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, funghi and non-sporulating bacteria. It’s safe for the operator, who needs only basic training and minimum safety wear, and safe for use in public places around people animals and water. The systems offer a variety of attachments making them suitable to carry out cleaning tasks on any surface.
Foamstream has been shown to work significantly faster than many manual sanitisation practices currently being used. Furthermore, it solves the virus problem without causing another problem downstream by exposing people to harmful chemicals. Approved for use as an organic biocide, Foamstream is used by local authorities and contractors all over the UK, mainland Europe, North and South America and Australasia. There is a new virtual demonstration platform available for those interested to understand more about the process and Weedingtech urge authorities to see and consider the Foamstream route as their first line of defence against Covid-19 (and other viruses like hepatitis-C, norovirus and influenza) in public spaces.
Foamstream is already used by councils around the UK including Hammersmith and Fulham, Manchester City Council and Southwark as well as by some of the nation’s biggest contracting companies such as idverde and Urbaser.
In the US it is used in the Cities of New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle and Baltimore. The process can be seen on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV97mq6e_-E&feature=youtu.
