Companies To Test COVID-19 Health, Safety Concepts At SD Airport's Innovation Lab

San Diego CA

10 February, 2021

2:13 PM

Description

By City News Service, Times of San Diego February 10, 2021 San Diego International Airport has invited six companies to test health and safety concepts aimed at improving traveler protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Tuesday. The companies in the accelerator program at the airport's Innovation Lab will take part through the summer. The effort will include online workshops, sessions with Airport Authority experts, and potentially live testing in the airport as health and safety restrictions permit. The program will focus on airport health and safety, particularly mitigating the spread of COVID-19. "COVID forced airports around the world to re-evaluate health and safety protocols to mitigate spreading the virus," said Rick Belliotti, airport director of Customer Experience & Innovation. "We recruited companies that offer viable solutions to reducing passenger contact with high-touch points and effectively managing social distancing. This is an exceptional batch of innovators and we are already extremely impressed with their ideas that have the potential to shape the future airport customer experience." The companies and their concepts are: At the end of the program, successful companies will have the chance to enter into contract negotiations with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the airport's owner and operator. "COVID-19 has taught us a lot about mitigating the spread of the virus in a large public venue," said Kimberly J. Becker, Airport Authority president and CEO. "As we focus on recovery and plan for the redevelopment of our Terminal 1, we are very interested in concepts that add to creating a safe and healthy environment for all who travel through our airport. Those innovations that succeed at SAN now in the midst of the pandemic will add to our ability to be ready for when passenger volumes return to normal." Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.