Nearly 1,2 tonne of different types of disinfectant will be used at the Sofia Open tennis tournament in 2020. Each member of the team that takes care of the disinfection of Arena Armeec covers about 15 km a day.
The epidemic measures of the last ATP Tour tournament of the year are stringent and strictly observed. The whole facility is disinfected every morning before the start of the schedule, throughout the day and after the end of the last matches. The entire court and all its accessories are also decontaminated after each match. According to the schedule, the cars that are transporting the players from the hotel to the gym and back, are also cleaned, and there cannot be more than two people in them. Disinfectants are provided by the partners of the tournament University Hospital “Sofiamed” and the largest manufacturer of disinfectants, antiseptics, professional detergents and industrial degreasers in Bulgaria Hygiene Medical Industry (HMI), are placed wherever there is a flow of people.
Hygiene Medical Industry invests in research and development of new products and services, production and distribution, information technology and human resources. Since 1994, HMI has been developing and offering high-quality disinfection tools and solutions and today is a leader on the Bulgarian market in the supply of biocides for healthcare, serving over two-thirds of medical institutions in the country.
“We have learned to wash our hands, but the effect of disinfection in Bulgaria is still underestimated. It is also essential how the procedures are performed, which are different depending on the object and its purpose. However, when done according to the rules, disinfection is very effective and is important in the fight against infections, “said Adriana Katsarova, owner of one of the companies that are on duty on the tournament -“ADRINA PEST”.
In addition to the disinfection, the other anti-epidemic measures are very strictly observed – the spectators and the journalists are accommodated through two seats, and all those that are not used are sealed. Players and organizers are subjected to regular PCR tests by the Accredited Laboratory of the official medical partner of the Sofiamed tournament. The temperature is measured when entering the hall. A unique online health questionnaire for ATP is filled out every morning.
The Arena is divided into different access zones, and in many cases, even people from one team do not have contact with each other due to the different types of duties they perform.
In addition to all anti-epidemic measures and current regulations in Bulgaria, the organization of the Sofia Open 2020 follows a strict 54 pages medical protocol of ATP, containing rules for the tournament that emphasis the protection of general health.
As part of the special anti-epidemic rules and measures of ATP for organizing a Tour even, all events with the tennis stars outside their matches from the tournament have been cancelled. Autograph sessions when leaving the court are prohibited, and no one in the audience can be in contact with a tennis player participating in the tournament. The players themselves and representatives of their staffs are obliged to observe a distance of 2 meters when moving to the court. And the movement of players is limited and according to a pre-announced plan.
“I want to say a big thank you from me and all the other tennis players who are here, to all those working on the front line – to everyone who takes care of the tournament in Sofia, to everyone in Bulgaria and everyone around the world,” said the former world doubles №1 and finalist in this year edition Sofia Open 2020 Jamie Murray.
“I thank everyone who works on the front line. Thank you very much for sacrificing yourself for the sake of our health. I appreciate it a lot. I hope you are healthy “, said top-seeded and current world №12 Denis Shapovalov.
