Hong Kong International Airport has begun trials of full-body disinfection stations.
The telephone box-sized booths are designed to fully sterilise a person, using an antimicrobial coating and disinfectant spray.
In a statement, Hong Kong Airport has revealed that the machines, named CLeanTech, will initially be used for staff who come into direct contact with passengers.
The process will take 40 seconds, from entry to exit.
- Passengers will undergo a temperature check
- Upon entering the booth, a door will be sealed with negative air pressure
- Passengers will be remotely cleaned using antimicrobial coatings on the walls, killing viruses and complex viruses on clothes
- An antibacterial spray will also be dispensed to disinfect clothing and exposed skin
- Passengers will exit through a different door, to avoid any potential re-contamination
The airport authority will shortly begin trials of applying antimicrobial coatings to all areas of the passenger terminals.
The aim will be to prevent any viruses existing on surfaces throughout the airport.
“The safety and wellbeing of airport staff and passengers are always our first priority. Although air traffic has been impacted by the pandemic, the [Airport Authority] spares no effort in ensuring that the airport is a safe environment for all users. We will continue to look into new measures to enhance our cleaning and disinfection work.”
Steven Yiu, Deputy Director, Service Delivery, Hong Kong Airport
Autonomous cleaning robots have also been deployed to sterilise public toilets and other heavily-used passenger facilities. These robots will use air sterilisation and UV light to kill 99.99% of bacteria.
Article Sources: Hong Kong Airport Authority and Business Insider.