Singapore, 13 May 2020: A1 Facility Services, an NEA Licensed Cleaning Agency, has launched a disinfection tunnel to help public and private authorities, disinfect employees and residents while entering the premises, and help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The tunnel is accompanied by a contactless temperature scanner installed at the building entry. In an attempt to safeguard communities, the company has already begun work with corporate institutions delivering essential services, to install the affordable, safety-certified sanitisation tunnels and contactless temperature scanners, and is preparing to boost its implementation in Singapore, as the country prepares to get back to work after the circuit breaker ends.
The entire set up is made-to-measure, fully customisable to the site’s requirements and has already been installed in SG Alliance and PIAS in Singapore. A1 Facility Services also has plans to export this to Indonesia and the Middle East.
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While restricting public gatherings, practising social distancing and contact tracing through the TraceTogether mobile application is a part of Singapore’s tactical strategy to erase local transmission, setting up disinfection tunnels in crowded public spaces like schools, shopping malls, hotels, offices, and dormitories are expected to support the fight against COVID-19 when people slowly start going back to work. According to the World Health Organisation, studies suggest that coronaviruses may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions like the type of surface, temperature, or humidity of the environment.
“If you take the MRT during peak hours or walked one of the busy intersections, you might not even realise, what a large number of viruses the surface of your clothes, exposed belongings, and body parts can carry. These viruses can easily get transferred to your hands, face, and surroundings if you do not disinfect. The sanitising concentrate is effective against Avian Influenza virus, Bovine Coronavirus, amongst others, and offers safe sanitisation to everyone going back to work, in particular for those who work in close contact with groups and are therefore at higher risk,” says Dr Lee Yuan Kun, a practicing Microbiologist at a local tertiary institution.
The disinfection tunnel is composed of a walkthrough structure whose supporting frame is made up of a sturdy stainless-steel tube, easy to assemble or dismantle, and a durable polycarbonate cover. Polycarbonate is a sustainable material that has a minimal impact on the environment. Once an individual walks through the disinfection chamber, an industrial-grade disinfectant ioniser injects the V-STOP Air Shield Sanitising Concentrate in the environment, that can eradicate 99.99% of viruses and bacteria on the surface. Every person who walks in must spend 10-20 seconds inside the tunnel. After which, a contactless temperature scanner installed at the building door shall detect the individual’s body temperature and deny entry if the reading is more than 37.5 degrees celsius.
The V-STOP Air Shield Sanitising Concentrate, which is solely distributed by iSmart Synergy in collaboration with A1 Facility Services, complies with government health guidelines and its safety is certified by a leading global safety and security solutions authority, TÜV SÜD. The fully automated temperature scanner is being manufactured by Gym Pod and distributed by A1 Facility Services.
A diffuser with the sanitising concentrate is also being used to regularly disinfect foreign worker dormitories to protect the residents from airborne viruses. Emphasising their commitment to worker safety, 5 of Centurion Corporation dormitories have already installed this ‘set up’, in addition to disinfecting every person who goes in and out of the dormitory. A1 Facility Services is also working with TPS Construction to maintain a safe environment for a few hundred workers.
“We had been conducting disinfection and sanitisation for institutions in Singapore along with offering hand sanitisers to their personnel. But feedback from our existing customers pointed out a key concern, which is the huge influx of people that would begin, once the circuit breaker ends and how they can be potential carriers to harmful viruses including coronavirus. The struggle to ensure the safety of people is real. Leveraging our capabilities, we came up with the concept for the disinfection tunnel and created it, which we plan to install along with temperature scanners, to offer an effective set up to combat COVID-19,” says Bryan Yi, Managing Director, A1 Facility Services. “During the circuit breaker period, we have been disinfecting 50-100 people per day including those who are a part of essential services, and after the circuit breaker, we expect to disinfect more than 3000 in a day in Singapore.”
Within the next few months, A1 Facility Services plans to support hotels, primary schools, hospitals, foreign worker dormitories, and other public spaces, by offering a wholesome disinfection procedure.
