“Complete Sterilization” – Disinfectant Tunnel May Be Key To Bringing Back Pro Sports

An Israeli company had the ingenious idea of ​​designing a disinfecting tunnel that is currently being tested at a major sports stadium. 

“When people walk through the tunnel, their whole body gets sprayed with the disinfectant, which works fast and efficiently, and provides the complete sterilization of a person,” Eran Druker, business development manager at RD Pack, the Karmiel, Israel-based firm developing the sterilization tunnel that sprays visitors with environmentally friendly disinfectant, told The Times of Israel.

Happening now: @TelAviv Mayor @Ron_Huldai tests a sanitation tunnel developed by RD Pack that sprays the environmentally-friendly disinfectant based on tap water developed at Bar-Ilan. The tunnel is now being piloted at Bloomfield Stadium to promote hygiene at public venues 💧💧 pic.twitter.com/psdxNYmbET

— Bar-Ilan University (@ubarilan) June 2, 2020

Druker said the tunnel is being piloted at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv ahead of soccer games set to resume in the near term. He said the liquid is an environmentally friendly disinfectant that kills bacteria and viruses, which is electrified to produce hypochlorous acid. This means it can be sprayed on people and food without any harmful consequences. 

Dr. Eran Avraham, one of the researchers who developed the disinfectant, said the tunnel, composed of an aluminum and polycarbonate frame, along with a network of sprayers pumping out the disinfectant, will dramatically “reduce” the chances for COVID-19 infection. 

“If you cross the tunnel, the germs on your body are eliminated. This reduces the spread of the virus and a lot of other pathogens.

“The coronavirus is highly infectious and is mainly spread via droplets expelled via the nose or mouth. However, it also can survive on hands, clothes, and other surfaces for a period of time. So, if someone was in touch with another person who was sick, and still has droplets from the sick person on their clothes, the tunnel would destroy those droplets, halting their spread,” he said. 

Druker said the disinfecting tunnel could be placed at stadiums, airports, schools, offices, and shopping malls. He said it would give people the medical and psychological reassurance that public areas and mass events are safe in a post-corona world. 

A French company developed a similar tunnel that sprays a fine mist of water and nitrogen on people. Pierre Nicoletti, the manager of Alineair, said in May that his tunnels will soon appear at the entrance of supermarkets and or other commercial areas. 

Disinfecting tunnels are likely coming to stadiums, concert areas, airports, and other places of mass gatherings in the near term.