Hospitality has arguably been the sector worst hit by the Covid pandemic. In 2020, takings between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, a traditional high spot of the year, were down almost 80% down on the previous year. And in spring 2021, as other businesses went back to normal, pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels could only re-open with enhanced restrictions.
This caution around hospitality is understandable. As time has gone on, we have learnt more about Covid – that it’s primarily an airborne virus, spreading from infected people on droplets or aerosols in the air. We now know that Covid spreads more rapidly in places with less air movement, and where people are in close proximity for longer periods of time, and both are true when you’re eating and drinking indoors with friends or family.
So while infection rates remain high, and new lockdowns remain a background threat, hospitality businesses need to do all they can to help to reduce the risk of further restrictions being imposed. And the answer could be simpler than you think.
Prevention is better than cure
Even without a full lockdown, further restrictions could have a major impact on hospitality businesses. Mandatory vaccine passports, for example, could lead to a 30% loss on revenue. That’s why many pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels are continuing with the measures they introduced after lockdown, including reducing the number of tables or settings they serve, and creating bigger, open spaces outdoors using covered marquees or new outbuildings.
However, these tactics don’t work for businesses with no outdoor space, or in the winter, when people don’t want to sit outside in the cold. That’s why more companies are looking for alternatives – including improving ventilation and using mechanical air purifiers to reduce airborne transmission of aerosols. These measures enable businesses to deliver the same safety benefits indoors as they can outdoors, and save those with outdoor spaces the cost of heating or maintaining them.
A good air purifier will not only ventilate the room, but also sanitise the air using a range of modern technologies, including high powered ultraviolet light, filtration and more. It is a convenient and effective way for any pub, bar, hotel, or restaurant to significantly reduce the risk to their customers.
The time to act is now
Covid infection rates remain high and are expected to for some time. Now is the opportune moment for hospitality businesses to better ventilate their venues. It’s easy to achieve, and is a significant factor in reducing Covid risk.
No air purifier can completely remove all airborne viruses like Covid, but some do offer much more protection than others. The BonaCaeli AirVSAFE 2000 for example, deactivates viruses and kills pathogens, rather than just filtering them, by bubbling the air through a medical grade bio-wash and then treating it further with ultraviolet-C radiation.
Ventilation and purification don’t have to be complicated. Our air purifiers are designed to deliver results in any location where people meet, including bars, pubs, restaurants, and hotels.
The introduction of new restrictions, or the return to the old, would be disastrous for the hospitality sector. With the right technology, you can not only make it safer for customers to visit you now, but reduce the likelihood of new measures being needed in the future.