GreenFlag: How to party hard with Covid-19 safe air and limit lockdowns

Going out for a drink at the local pub or shisanyama, or to your favourite restaurant just got a whole lot more fun, and safe, with the launch of a new online GreenFlag check that makes sure the air quality at the venue is Covid-19 safe before you get there.

In a world first, three local South African entrepreneurs have launched the GreenFlag Association, a brand new concept and public benefit organisation, that aims to reduce the risk of airborne disease transmission and the economic burden of lockdowns on countries. Even debatably less thrilling spaces than bars and restaurants, such as boardrooms and beauty parlours, can be loaded for an online check once they are certified as part of the new concept.

In short, the concept has the potential, not only to eradicate patrons’ fears for their safety from the virus – as far as people will allow, of course – but to provide a scientific basis to keep restaurants, bars and all businesses open, seriously limiting the risk of future hard lockdowns, that shed jobs and break families. 

The GreenFlag Association was launched at Butcher Boys in Umhlanga on Wednesday 31 March as an international effort to advise on primary preventative solutions to reduce the risk of transmission of airborne pathogens, including Covid-19, specifically in public spaces. The restaurant was one of the first tourism establishments to achieve a “Green Flag” certification for safe air quality. 

Occupational Hygienist, Sean Chester, now chairman of GreenFlag Association, Charles Murray, CEO of Supplier Development Initiatives (SDI) and Brad Fisher, CEO of ADreach came up with the concept last October while considering the impact of Covid-19 on people’s lives and the economy. 

The three founders have now gone ahead and launched the GreenFlag Association as a multidisciplinary initiative, comprising a panel of international scientists, academics and business representatives. 

The association kicked off by assisting businesses on the KwaZulu-Natal Coast to prepare to host holiday makers as safely as possible by providing certification of their existing Covid-19 protocols and importantly, their air quality.

Covid-19 is largely an airborne disease, so air quality is critically important in reducing the spread of the disease.

“Ventilation with fresh clean replacement air is a crucial element of providing a safe and healthy environment and, like other Covid safety protocols, such as wearing masks and cleansing hands regularly, ensures an extremely important extra level of safety for visitors,” Chester said. Similar to Blue Flag status obtained by beaches, GreenFlag Certification of public spaces offers reassurance that a venue has taken all precautions to provide a safe public space to customers and staff, especially when it comes to adequate ventilation.

“One of the main objectives of the GreenFlag Association is to raise the awareness and understanding of the importance of proper air quality and adequately ventilated public spaces in preventing the transmission of any airborne diseases and to promote healthier and safer public spaces internationally,” Murray said.

“Around the world there has been a lack of understanding and relatively slow acknowledgement, from leading international scientific organisations, about the airborne nature of Covid-19 and the significance of airborne transmission in poorly ventilated environments. This continues to be the case, despite consensus that trapped air is the main source of so-called hot spots and superspreader events.”

For a business to acquire GreenFlag Certification, a specially trained environmental health inspector assesses the air quality of the venue, using a set of scientific criteria. Should the establishment meet the criteria, it will be issued with GreenFlag Certification. The certification will specify the number of people that can safely occupy the space, without compromising the safety of patrons, as well as indicate optimal airflow configurations necessary to prevent an accumulation of airborne viral particles.

“GreenFlag Certificates can be displayed at the entrance of the establishment or viewed online, which gives potential customers the peace of mind to enter the venue, or choose to avoid it, should the space be overcrowded,” Fisher said.

The GreenFlag panel of experts includes international scientists and experts who are leaders in their field. They advise the association on the latest science in the global health and safety fields. 

GreenFlag is recruiting expert service providers to serve as GreenFlag inspectors to ensure that as many venues as possible are assessed in as short a time-frame as possible.

The GreenFlag Association is a collaboration of Apex Environmental, a leading environmental health and safety firm in South Africa, Supplier Development Initiatives (SDI), a firm that assists in enterprise and supplier development, as well as ADreach, which specialises in marketing and communications.