The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has set out to regulate walkthrough sanitizing booths, being used in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The booths, similar to metal detectors, offer automatic 360-degree disinfection within seconds, allowing public establishments, including companies and commercial places to stop the spread of pathogens in their premises.

In a brief meeting with importers, traders and clearing agents, the regulator said the move is aimed at ensuring the safety and protection of persons who use them.

Barbara Atim, a standards officer at UNBS said the standard; similar to Kenya’s would be viewed by stakeholders for 60 days to allow input and raise concerns before it is gazetted.

She said currently, the document is still in draft form, although it is expected to come into force by July 2021.

Atim said when passed, the standard would require all manufacturers to have a risk management system that specifies their policy on risk, users comfort and privacy, health risks and mitigation strategies and a risk management plan.

“This policy shall also outline the quality management plan, installation and user manuals among others,” she said.

The booths, according to Atim will be required to have a disinfection chamber with transparent entry and exit, as well as a corrosion-resistant floor, a LED light inside the chamber, and an automatic or manual switch to trigger the release of disinfectant.

She said it would also be required to bear signage describing the sanitization process, a 20liter tank for storage of the disinfectant, delivery pipes and automatic spray nozzles.

The frame shall be made with corrosion-resistant materials such as coated aluminium, acrylic sheet, hot-dip steel hollow sections, fibreglass or any other material with equivalent properties, she said.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year, government has introduced various safety measures to prevent coronavirus rapid spread, including the walkthrough sanitizations booths.

The machine can be installed at any public place entrance or on exit points where people come and go frequently and is capable of disinfecting a person from head to toe as they pass through its cabin.

UNBS communication officer, Victoria Namutebi Wamala said the draft specifies the minimum requirements, construction and use of a sanitization booth for disinfecting the whole body during pandemics.

She said the regulator would also demand that the machines be marked with the physical address of the manufacturers for easy traceability.

“The walking surface in the booth shall also be made with a slight taper from entry to exit to avoid reverse delivery of contaminated chemicals after exiting the sanitization booth,” she said.