Meet the COVID-19 killing robots purchased by the Panthers
By Dean Jones
A significant purchase has been made by the Carolina Panthers as they gear up to welcome fans back into the stands this weekend.
The Carolina Panthers have made their intentions clear regarding their ability to combat the COVID-19 threat when fans finally return to Bank of America Stadium this weekend.
A little more than 5,000 spectators will be allowed into their game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, which is the first time something like this has been permitted since the pandemic began. With teams across the league under more scrutiny than ever from NFL officials regarding their precautions, the Carolina Panthers have pushed the boat out in their bid to ensure safety remains of paramount importance.
The Carolina Panthers invested $250,000 on two robots
The Panthers revealed that two “LightStrike Germ-Zapping” Robots, which cost $125,000 apiece, are being utilized for cleaning purposes. They are made by Xenex Disinfection Services and come with the aim of disinfecting every last inch of Bank of America Stadium on Sunday ahead of the return of some members of their loyal fanbase.
Eddie Levins, director of security and infectious control officer for the Carolina Panthers and Bank of America Stadium, sold the idea of the robots to owner David Tepper, who gave him the green light to spend a quarter of a million on the vital pieces of equipment ahead of a landmark day in Week 4.
"“Our goal is to make this the safest facility and stadium that it can possibly be and that’s why we chose XENEX. It was clear in our evaluations that XENEX provided the best UV disinfecting solution for us and allowed us to quickly and effectively sanitize our football areas and other areas throughout the stadium. We have worked since March to develop a comprehensive health and safety plan so that everyone would feel safe and comfortable returning to Bank of America Stadium and XENEX is an important part of those efforts.”"
Getting fans back in the stands will be a gradual process. Everything needs to go right during this initial period of transition and if it all goes belly-up then it has the potential to cause big ramifications across the league.
Teams are already losing a considerable amount of revenue from no fans at games. This pales insignificance when one considers the money being generated from TV rights, but having this sort of state-of-the-art technology to call upon during an unprecedented time can only be a good thing from the Panthers’ perspective.
Things have been relatively positive in Carolina regarding the COVID-19 threat. Cases have been minimal, with only a couple of players missing time due to the current regulations.
Their decision to move training camp to Bank of America Stadium was the correct one. It gave them a safe and secure base that stood them in good stead before competitive action got underway.
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Anything can happen, but at least Carolina’s decision-makers have given themselves a good chance of coming out on the other side with some semblance of positivity.