Should Restaurants Disinfect Guests' Shoes?

A Florida restaurant has adopted footwear-disinfecting technology that was originally designed for hospitals and doctors’ offices.

EIGHT SECONDS TO ELIMINATE PATHOGENS

When guests enter the Island Grille and Raw Bar, in Tierra Vierde, FL, they step onto a mat for eight-seconds as UVC rays and ozone disinfect their footwear. 

The process, developed by St. Petersburg-based PathO3Gen Solutions, eliminates more than 99.9 percent of bacteria and pathogens, including the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to the company.

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

Like most restaurants opening their dining rooms to guests, the Island Grill is employing a number of safety measures, including taking employees’ temperatures, wearing gloves, sanitizing high-contact surfaces like tabletops, and keeping diners socially distanced.

Disinfecting footwear may join the sanitation protocols of bars and restaurants, hotels, airports, and other high-traffic area. A study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s peer-reviewed journal Emerging Infectious Diseases suggests that the novel coronavirus can be widely distributed on floors.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We’d like to know your thoughts about using UVC rays to disinfect footwear. Email me at [email protected].