Step inside the mist tunnel for your pre-concert sanitisation

Fans of the American Football team the Denver Broncos were bemused this week to see a short video on Twitter of players walking through a misting gate on their way onto the training pitch.

If, on first look, it seemed as though the players were getting a quick blast of air-conned breeze to cool their bodies, then the caption to the four second video cleared up any confusion. They were in fact sanitising.

Can spraying a little mist onto a person actually help protect them from Covid-19?

That’s the argument being made by the makers of the Gateway Personal Protection Tunnel. British mechanical engineering firm Conditioned Environment have installed their machines at ten care homes in Buckinghamshire, and outside London’s two Piano Works music venues. The company says it is also in talks with two major football clubs to help allow live spectators to attend matches.

People entering these venues will be required to pass through the phone box-sized booths for access. The Gateway sprays people with an odourless, dry mist – a solution of water and 1 part per million of hypochlorous acid; essentially chlorinated water. The ratio is one-tenth of the safe exposure limit.

According to results from scientific testing company Frazer Nash Consultancy, a five second misting covers 99.994-99.9999pc of a person’s exposed skin and clothes. Combined with a thermometer designed to scan for abnormally high temperatures brought on by the virus, the idea is that the technology can provide a quick and effective way for venues to mitigate as much danger from the virus as possible.

Not everyone is convinced, however. According to the World Health Organisation spraying people with disinfectant could be “physically and psychologically harmful”. Its website points to the possibility of chemicals such as chlorine causing of eye and skin irritation, "bronchospasm due to inhalation, and potentially gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting."

It adds that such technology does not prevent an infected person from spreading the virus via expelled droplets. “Even if someone who is infected with Covid-19 goes through a disinfection tunnel or chamber, as soon as they start speaking, coughing or sneezing they can still spread the virus."

Conditioned Environment argues that the WHO is missing the point of the technology. “We are not saying that this is a cure for Covid-19; what we are saying is that it mitigates and adds the highest level of protection to try and further stop the spread of virus and bacteria,” the company said in a statement. Their point is that a mist tunnel helps to stop people from contracting the virus in the first place, similar to hand sanitiser, rather than preventing them from spreading it, like a mask.

Still, the company discourages people with asthma and skin conditions from using the tunnel and are clear that those who have symptoms of the virus shouldn’t be going out to venues in the first place.

“We wanted to build a layer of defence to give consumers confidence to get out there and help businesses open their doors,” Christian Pearce, commercial director of Gateway PPT, told the Telegraph. “That is why we developed the Gateway: to reduce the spread of Covid and minimise the risk. We want to see our Gateways all over the country to help everyone get back into a routine with the knowledge the right protections are in place.”

For venues, the opportunity to provide an extra layer of safety for clients is attractive. “We need to reassure our guests that we are doing all that we can to keep them safe,” says Tristan Moffat, operations director for The Piano Works. “We believe that using the best technology available will help our guests enjoy our great musicians' performances once again.”

For businesses at risk of being vaporised by a Covid-induced recession, trusting in the mist might be the only option.