Menu
Borg Locks has welcomed the latest study [1] showing that copper touch surfaces rapidly inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in less than a minute, contrary to a previous study [2] showing four hours.
John Hyslop, MD of Borg Locks (UK) said: “To read this latest research that proves copper touch surfaces can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 in under one minute is another piece of absolutely fantastic news for us all in the fight against the coronavirus while we wait for vaccines to be rolled out.”
This latest research on the efficacy of copper’s microbial actions has been carried by Professor Bill Keevil from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, in conjunction with his colleagues Catherine Bryant and Sandra A. Wilkes.
Although the mode of transmission of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is believed principally to be airborne exposure to respiratory droplets there was also a risk of the droplets contaminating fomites such as high-touch surfaces including door locks and door handles, which could then be picked up and transferred to eyes, nose and mouth [3].
John continues: “So as a manufacturer of locks, we were deeply concerned that the metal surface of our products might be a possible transmission point for COVID-19. We began researching alternative surfaces and discovered that copper alloy surfaces are better than other surfaces for inactivating coronaviruses and preventing their spread via fomite contact.
“That’s why we created the Cu-Shield for our most popular digital lock designs. Made from a high copper content alloy (>60%), its inherent and continuous antimicrobial action due to the virus-killing power of copper, means that the copper-touch surface never stops killing any viruses and pathogens that are present.”
In another innovative turn, the Cu-Shield can be retrofitted to existing Borg locks in under 15 minutes and doesn’t require any specialist skills or labour, meaning the potential spread of the coronavirus can be reduced right away.
John finished: “Borg Locks are already trusted by many hospitals, residential care homes, businesses and schools to control pedestrian access. Now, with the release of the Cu-Shield, we can add the protection of employees and the general public from COVID-19 to that commitment as well.”
— — — — — —
REFERENCES
[1] Bryant C, Wilks SA, Keevil CW. 2021. Rapid inactivation of SARS-CoV2 on copper touch surfaces determined using a cell culture infectivity assay.
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.02.424974
[2] van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris D, et al. 2020. Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med Epub Mar 2020.
http://dx.doi:10.1056/NEJMc2004973
A full range of documents, including code change instructions for all Borg Locks, fixing templates, product literature and installation guides can all be found on our help and support page
If you have any questions or would simply like to discuss a new project, feel free to get in touch by clicking below.
Alternatively, you can call us on +44 (0) 1708 225700.
Our office address is: Unit 9 Upminster Trading Park, Warley Street, Upminster. RM14 3PJ
Borg Locks has been designing, creating and distributing its vast range of mechanical access control devices since 1997.
