Health

Hospitality sector turns to ozone gas machines for better hygiene

Sales of air- and surface-purification devices rise as hotels, restuarants and bars seek to avoid further Covid closures

Kieran Glennon, head chef at Patrick Guilbaud, with David Byrne of Sanity System, and an ozone sanitising machine Photograph: Conor McCabe/PA Wire

Sun Jul 18 2021 - 14:16

Hundreds of Irish restaurants, bars and hotels have installed ozone purification machines in a bid to avoid future Covid-related shutdowns.

Customer demand for improved hygiene standards has seen sales of the devices, which use ozone gas, rise by over 200 per cent in recent weeks as indoor dining returns for the first time since Christmas on July 26th.

The “plug-and-play” machines work by using ozone to purify the air and surfaces of workplaces, entertainment venues or vehicles — meaning glass, carpets, walls and other areas are safely cleaned.

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The procedure then reverses itself to remove any remaining ozone so the premises or vehicle can be used as soon as the process finishes.

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Licensed by the Department of Agriculture, the machines are used by the HSE, Revenue Commissioners, gardaí and a range of businesses and motor companies.

“With daily Covid cases now back around the 1,000 mark, restaurant owners have told us they want them as another weapon to prevent any future closures,” said David Byrne, managing director of Dublin-based Sanity System, the worldwide distributor of the portable machines.

“Pubs, restaurants and cafes are dreading the nightmare scenario of having to close again in the event of an outbreak.”

The devices were installed at the Patrick Guilbaud restaurant in Dublin at the weekend, and head chef Kieran Glennon said they will play a significant part in safely reopening indoor hospitality.

“Hopefully we are coming to the end of an extremely difficult time for the restaurant sector and devices such as these play a big role in reopening because they instil confidence in customers,” he said.

“Some of them are returning for the first time since March 2020, and clean air and sanitisation will now be seen as a priority, not an optional extra,” he said. – PA

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