Scientists, academics and business leaders are pushing for a cheap, water-like disinfectant spray to be used more widely in Britain to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
The product was shown to be effective in countries including the UAE, China and South Korea.
Hypochlorous acid, or Hoci, is 100 times more effective as a disinfectant than bleach, killing germs and viruses immediately.
The non-hazardous, weak acid has been approved by the World Health Organisation and is harmless to plants and animals. It has a colourless, water-like appearance.
It has been used in the UAE’s disinfection programme and has been central to South Korea’s lauded strategy for containing the virus since March.
The country has some of the lowest coronavirus figures globally, with only about 14,000 people infected and fewer than 300 deaths.
Front-line workers in South Korea went to drive-through Covid-19 testing stations at the end of their shifts, where they stepped into booths and were showered in the disinfectant.
Health experts suggested the chemical could be sprayed on people as they walked through metal detector-style arches on their way into venues in Britain.
It could be a way to keep work offices, schools and entertainment venues safe as the country's lockdown eases.
"We should have used HOCl from the very start. It would have made a huge difference, but it's still not too late," Darren Reynolds, professor of health and environment at the University of the West of England, told The Daily Mail.
The spray is used in disinfection tunnels made by Dubai company Naffco, which is used at bus stops, train stations, in airports and in cinemas in the UAE.
The British government only this week allowed official trials of the disinfectant for use against Covid-19.
Its disinfectant of choice for healthcare centres is often sodium hypochlorite, which unlike hypochlorous acid is an irritant and corrosive.
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Trimite distributes sanitisation tunnels in the UK under the name of ShieldMe.
“The potential of fogging with hypochlorous acid is huge,” Trimite chairman David Roberts said.
“We are currently in discussions with some Premiership rugby and football clubs, and we think our three-man tunnels are the solution for bringing spectators back into stadiums.
“There will be some queuing but it will take no longer to walk through a fogging tunnel than it will to go through a turnstile where you have to show your ticket.”
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Gallery: Coronavirus around the world
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An Indian woman wears a mask due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in Bangalore, India. EPA -
Models present creations during a fashion show, wearing masks as a measure to avoid the spread of the Covid-19, in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters -
A patient looks on as their nasal and throat swabs are put into a test tube, during walk-up Covid-19 testing in a mobile diagnostic tent in San Gregorio Atlapulco in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City. AP Photo -
Salvadoran Rebeca Valle de Barrera, right, and her five children show a picture of her deceased husband Joaquin Barrera who, along with her parents and two other brothers, recently died of Covid-19, at their home in Santiago Nonualco, La Paz department, El Salvador. AFP -
A Covid-19 patient reacts after being tested inside a field hospital built on a football stadium in Machakos, as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases continues to rise in Kenya. Reuters -
A man walks past by a mural by artist Cosimo Cheone dedicated to nurses of Sacco hospital, in Milan, Italy. AP Photo -
A woman carries a baby as she lines up to receive a hot meal from municipal workers at Ciudad Peronia neighborhood in Villa Nueva municipality in Guatemala. AFP -
Teacher Maura Silva, who works for public school Escola Municipal Frei Vicente de Salvador and who created a "hug kit" using plastic covers, embraces her student Yuri Araujo Silva at Yuri's home in the 77 Padre Miguel slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reuters -
Employees from several maid-themed cafes of Akihabara pray during a prayer-meeting for protection from Covid-19 and for a thriving business at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo. AP Photo -
A sign informs customers at the Edison Hotel restaurant about wearing a protective face mask during the coronavirus pandemic, along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, Florida, USA. AP Photo -
Worshippers socially distanced and wearing face masks kneel on their personal prayer mats during Friday prayers at Madina Masjid, Sheffield's central mosque, in Sheffield, northern England. AFP -
Visitors listen to the sound installation “eleven songs – halle am berghain” at Berghain club in Berlin, Germany. AFP -
Shopping mall workers wearing masks for protection against the Covid-19 wait for a shuttle outside a mall, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Reuters -
A man wearing a protective face mask walks at Mid-Levels Central, following the Covid-19 outbreak in Hong Kong, China. Reuters -
A masked man rides a UFO-shaped toy car at a park in Cali, Colombia before a night curfew starts against the spread of the new coronavirus. AFP
