PPE for the pub
It’s all very well the government easing the restrictions on pubs for mid-Summer but to what extent will these restrictions be relaxed when pubs get to open indoors again and what Covid-19 procedures are likely to have to remain in place to comply with safety precautions for customers?
As we approach something more akin to normality, publicans will need to consider just what they’ll need in terms of Personal Protective Equipment for themselves and their staff.
True, much of the heavy lifting will be done by the customers who’re unlikely to take to the interior of the pub with quite such gay abandon as they did once prior to the onset of the pandemic.
But businesses of all kinds will have to consider drastic changes to their operational models whether that be protecting the customer and staff or testing them for Covid-19.
Customers are likely to be very self-aware – not to mention aware of others – and are more than likely to continue wearing masks and keeping their Social Distance long after the legal requirement for this has been dropped as vaccination numbers reach sufficient scale to offer the long-awaited prospect of ‘herd immunity’.
Hand sanitiser aplenty
More attention to hand hygiene will also not be found wanting in pub visitors going forward, so again much of the work on awareness here will have been already taken off the publican’s shoulders by public awareness.
It’s not all a drag on profits
While Social Distancing might be considered a drag on potential profit, it’s not all a drag.
When previous Lockdowns were lifted customers got used, for example, to QR Codes and digital menus rather than their printed predecessors. This is likely to remain the case with customers and their mobiles and so proprietors going menu digital need no longer consider the costs of printing up or amending/repricing printed menus.
A digital approach also helps operators collect customer data to better tailor the menu to their customer profile.
Recent research from flipdish showed that 80% of UK customers hope to see online menus remain in place permanently. 62% stated they’d be more likely to visit a pub if they can order digitally. This is only likely to increase footfall when hospitality fully reopens.
Furthermore, digital menus help reduce customer waiting times and increase table turnover.
Traditional bill-paying practice can also be laid aside as customers are far more comfortable with paying via their smart device than ever before.
Novaerus at McGreals
As the phased reopening of outdoor hospitality commences Novaerus devices support companies in safely resuming business through protecting their staff and customer’s breathable indoor air.
The Irish-designed and manufactured Novaerus air disinfection devices complement all safety measures by eliminating the airborne transmission of the coronavirus.
Pubs and restaurants nationwide using this innovative solution for several months already include The Bridge 1859, Lemon & Duke, Grogan’s, Kealy’s, the Two Sisters, The Central Bar in Navan and Monck’s Green, Olive’s Room and The Butcher Grill in Dublin.
Ideal for disinfecting the air in kitchens, prep stations, bar areas, service areas and indoor washroom facilities for customers, the Novaerus technology provides 24/7 protection with no dangerous by-products and can be used continuously in rooms containing staff and customers.
Driven by science, the medical-grade devices use patented ‘NanoStrike’ plasma technology that’s been proven to reduce the virus which causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, by 99.997%. The technology also inactivates all other airborne viruses including mumps, measles and ‘flu as well as airborne bacteria and spores.
The devices are available in three sizes, catering from small to very large spaces – NV Protect 200, NV Protect 800 and Defend 1050.
Use studies demonstrate their tangible benefits, with long-term advantages including less staff absenteeism from colds, ‘flus or other airborne viruses, improved well-being and productivity.
Further information at www.novaerus.ie
RDT Care assists hospitality sector reopening
RDT Care has launched end-to-end integrated solutions to assist in the safe reopening of the industry.
As hotels reopen and guest occupancies rise rapidly due to seasonal and pent-up consumer demand it will be imperative that additional measures are employed such as guest and staff antigen-testing and health passports to minimise the spread of the virus, according to RDT Care’s Chief Executive Robert Brennan.
RDT Care is a unique nurse-led solution that underpins highly-effective Covid-19-testing with proven award-winning technologies to create a seamless solution that delivers, ensuring that each outlet offers a high-end Covid-safe staycation.
“We’re seeking to partner with a number of quality and luxury hotels and resorts in Ireland where there’s demonstrable trust, quality and quality control in all that we do,” says experienced hotelier Michael Lynch who’s leading RDT Care’s rollout in the hospitality industry.
“Antigen-testing is likely to be necessary in hotels for the foreseeable future. Our Nal von Minden test is 97.54% accurate and is among a small group of Antigen tests which detect the original Covid strain and all its variants with onsite results within 15 minutes.
“The EU Commission issued a list of 16 Antigen tests as part of their solution for rapid testing. Our Nal Von Minden test is part of this list and any positive tests can be confirmed onsite by the RTPCR machine in just 20 minutes,” he adds.
RDT Care can also minimise the impact of any potential infection on the hotel’s operations by using award-winning technology solutions (www.v-healthpassport.co.uk).
The V Health passport connects guests to their onsite antigen-test result or vaccine status if fully vaccinated and can be used for Contact Tracing etc and many other purposes including, over time, to allow access to various events.
“We believe that our systems are also very well-suited to contributing to the safe restart of meetings, conferencing, weddings and other events in the near future,” he added.
The restaurant and pub sectors would certainly reopen more safely if antigen-testing of customers and/or staff were employed.
RDT Care has begun discussions with the Irish Hotels Federation and Fáilte Ireland with regard to its products and unique market offer.
For further information on RDT Care Products and Services please contact Michael Lynch on 087 2511007 or e-mail michaelbrlynch@gmail.com.
www.rdtcare.com.
Surfaces safe for year with just one treatment
Healthtec Surface Protection, the Irish distributor of Resysten, is launching its unique protective coating which stops the spread of bacteria and viruses on any surface for up to a year with just one application.
Resysten, already used by Audi, T-Mobile, SAP, Foxconn, Budapest Airport and other partners across 35 countries, has developed a unique anti-microbial coating which continually protects surfaces against harmful bacteria and viruses.
Effective against bacteria and viruses like E. coli, MRSA, Covid and its variants, Resysten uses a photocatalytic process (activated by either natural or artificial light), keeping surfaces protected for up to a year, all from a single application.
Keeping touchpoints at surgically safe hygienic levels, it can’t be removed by standard cleaning methods and is completely odourless and invisible once applied.
Harmless to humans (having been extensively tested and used, for example, on supermarket trolleys/baskets, food preparation areas, public seating and washrooms etc) Resysten is deployed by specially-trained technicians using precision spraying equipment.
The Hungarian clean tech company’s product is already used across Europe to keep public spaces including hospitals, public transport networks, food supply chains, manufacturing, retail outlets, offices, leisure and hospitality facilities protected from dangerous pathogens. Independent testing has shown a minimum of 90% reduction in contamination levels within the first month of application, with an increase to 95% after the second month.
“No matter how much we clean, sanitise or disinfect there will always be a window or a gap for harmful bacteria and viruses such as Covid to spread on our surfaces and common touch points,” says Healthtec’s Chief Executive Colin Heather, “Resysten now offers us breakthrough ‘always on’ cleaning technology which combats this problem. It brings us permanent surgically-safe levels of surface cleanliness without the constant wiping down, it’s a sustainable approach and it’s well-received.”
Touch point testing is carried out regularly, operating to a set of industry limits which dictate if a surface passes or fails contamination testing. All this hygiene level data is available by QR Code to any device and available on signage throughout buildings.
For more information please visit:
Resysten Ireland http://resysten.ie/
Healthtec Surface Protection (Republic of Ireland, Dublin) https://www.healthtec.ie/
Coating Care (Northern Ireland, Derry) http://coatingcare.com/
