HeiQ viral blocker to protect gyms

The international fitness studio chain Gold's Gym will in future be protecting its gyms in California using viral blocker products developed by HeiQ, a technology firm based in Schlieren in the canton of Zurich. According to a press release, Gold's Gym will deploy the HeiQ V-Block Surface Protection Ecosystem in its fitness studios. This covers several market-leading technologies from HeiQ, including the antimicrobial surface protection solution HeiQ BacShield RTU certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The HeiQ V-Block Ecosystem will initially be used in gyms located across the state of California that are set to reopen over the next few months.

HeiQ Bacshield RTU – or HeiQ V-Block RTU as it is known in some states – is a bio-based non-toxic, non-allergenic antimicrobial surface protection spray. According to the press release, it forms a film that continues to offer antimicrobial protection long after it has been applied. Active protection endures for up to 90 days on treated surfaces. This therefore reduces the need for regular disinfection and substantially cuts the use of harsh disinfectants.

HeiQ is thinking beyond the coronavirus pandemic and the particular hygiene requirements it has necessitated. To this end, it has established a research network comprising 20 universities located around the world, as Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of the HeiQ Group explains in the press release. He adds: “Protecting surfaces and preserving their hygiene after cleaning is definitely something we should look at, even when the pandemic is over”.

According to information from the company itself, Gold's Gym was founded in 1965 as a small fitness studio in Venice on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. Gold’s Gym now runs around 700 sites globally, with three million daily users.

HeiQ, a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), is headquartered at the IJZ, an innovation and start-up park located in Schlieren, and is a member of Start Smart Schlieren.