San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
GOING HIGH-TECH
Cover: Venues use robots, touchless systems and electrostatic sprayers in COVID fight.
Abevy of high-tech gadgets are helping protect people from COVID-19, and other diseases, at venues across San Antonio.
The devices — including germzapping robots, air purifiers, QR codes and electrostatic disinfecting sprayers — are helping crowds come back safely.
The pandemic has spawned a complex landscape of products and services to combat the spread of COVID-19. And increasingly patrons want to know which anti-COVID-19 measures a venue has adopted before they buy tickets.
But medical experts warn that while the various technologies help, they’re not a cure-all that allows people to let their guard down.
“I would be extremely cautious about any product’s overstating of benefits because all of these products have limitations on their use and application,” said Michael Charlton, UT Health San Antonio’s assistant vice president for risk management and safety. “The most effective technologies are those that are easy to use and have a low barrier for implementation (like) … mask usage and hand hygiene.”
Charlton said the most impressive technologies in the battle against COVID-19 are the medical breakthroughs.
“Specialized therapies such as antiviral drugs — such as remdesivir, convalescent plasma and monoclonal antibodies — have undoubtedly saved lives,” he said, “although the most significant technology currently available are the three emergency authorized vaccines for SARS-COV-2.”
AT&T Center
Several technologies, both behind the scenes and in plain view, helped the Spurs welcome fans back to the AT&T Center on March 12.
Apart from social distancing, masks, temperature checks and decreased capacity, the anticoronavirus arsenal includes touchless tickets, cashless concession stands, the CLEAR mobile app for health screening and a Spurs app for purchases.
The AT&T Center also has employed germ-zapping robots, special air purifiers and electrostatic disinfectant sprayers, which more thoroughly coat surfaces.
To help with the increased bandwidth demand that comes with touchless and cashless operations, Spurs Sports & Entertainment has also upgraded the arena with the latest 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technology, according to spokesperson Liberty Swift.
Before reopening, the Spurs partnered with Austin-based commercial disinfection firm GermLogic to install 300 air purifiers with high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filters, which the company described as “filters to remove 99.9 percent of all airborne contaminants, such as viruses.”
In January, the Spurs became the first NBA franchise to purchase and use Xenex’s $100,000
LightStrike robots, which use ultraviolet light to blast germs. The Spurs have two of the machines.
San Antonio-based Xenex’s business has grown exponentially — with revenue increasing more than 600 percent — during the pandemic.
“The health and safety of our employees, fans and event attendees has always been our top priority,” Casey Heverling, vice president and general manager of the AT&T Center, said in a statement. “We are taking additional
precautions escalating our air treatments in many public areas, restrooms, restaurants, clubs and suites in the AT&T Center and the Spurs practice facility.”
Alamodome, Convention Center
The city has invested more than $2.8 million in COVID-19 precautions at the Alamodome and Convention Center.
“A wide variety of new technologies were installed, including sanitizing and contactless equipment,” said Scott Munson, assistant director of San Antonio’s convention and sports facilities. “The increased cleaning and sanitization efforts, along with
the new technologies and operational changes, have increased our customers’ confidence that they can hold their events in a safe manner in our facilities.”
The city’s Convention and Sports Facilities Department purchased a Xenex robot for the Alamodome, Convention Center and other city-owned venues, according to Munson.
At the 24-year-old Alamodome, where the NCAA’s 2021 women’s basketball championship game will take place Monday, the city has installed minimum efficiency reporting values, or MERV-11, air filters in the ventilation system.
The MERV-11s are a step up from standard MERV-8 filters, but
the Environmental Protection Agency says only MERV-13 and higher filters can trap viruses. Alamodome manager Steve Zito said they opted for MERV-11s and a beefed-up cleaning regime due to constraints with the dome’s aging heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
“Because of the reduced filter rate our HVAC system could potentially tolerate, we elected to use the MERV-11 in conjunction with frequent coil cleaning and daily disinfecting,” he said in an email. “The disinfecting is accomplished through a fogging system.”
The city has upgraded the Convention Center’s air filtration
to MERV 13/15 filters, which capture “90 percent of air particulates, including viruses,” according to Munson. “We also increased our outside air intake and unit run times during higher occupancy loads (which) results in additional fresh and filtered air within the facility.”
Visitors must check their temperatures at one of 20 Wello temperature-scanning machines. The city has also installed ultraviolet lights to kill germs on escalator handles, as well as 720 automatic faucets and toilet flush valves throughout the facility.
Convention Center staffers also have created Studio 5, with equipment to facilitate virtual or