The New Standard

Throughout the United States and in countries around the world, decision-makers have debated school closures during the pandemic. The World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO estimate that COVID-related school closures have disrupted education for 1.6 billion children worldwide. They also estimate that this generation of students is at risk of losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings […]

COVID and schools continue to do battle as the Omicron variant persists in wreaking havoc for the education sector in the U.S. and abroad. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students are grappling with the pros and cons of in-person instruction. In this latest edition of our Friday round-up series, we look at how the conversation around […]

Since the COVID pandemic began in March 2020, the U.S. government has provided Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The complex funding program supports schools in the fight against coronavirus. With over 4,600 U.S. schools closed due to Omicron during the first week of 2022, spending ESSER funding to avoid learning disruptions and […]

The Omicron variant of COVID continues to dominate headlines across the U.S. and around the world. With our understanding of this variant changing almost daily, schools in particular have experienced turmoil trying to navigate the best practices for ensuring student and staff safety. In this new blog series from R-Zero, we’re sharing the top stories […]

R-Zero is proud to announce that built environment expert Jeff Wagner, former Chief of Facilities for Clark County School District in Nevada, has joined the team as General Manager of Education. As a trained architect and former college professor, Jeff brings a wealth of experience regarding the impact of the built environment on people-performance. Before […]

Over the past several weeks, the Omicron variant has taken center stage in headlines across the globe. The CDC and the WHO continue to grapple with the original strain of COVID, the previously dominant Delta variant, and the uncertainty of what Omicron may bring. The pandemic is once again upending daily life, dealing another psychological […]

Many employees stepped away from their desks in shared workspaces in March of 2020 and haven’t returned. In some ways, it feels like sharing space at work was just a moment ago, and in others, it feels like forever since life and work felt normal. People have missed out on experiences, friendships, and milestones over […]

For many companies, return to work dates have become a moving target the longer the COVID pandemic lasts. Just this week, Google announced that the company is pushing back its original full reopening date (January 10, 2022) further into 2022, with no replacement date named. As employers and employees have navigated the ups and downs […]

Humans and Germ Theory: An Early History Human beings have always coexisted with microorganisms. However, it wasn’t until the 17th century that we could see them and prove they were real.  In the 1660s, a Dutch cloth merchant named Anton van Leeuwenhoek ground up glass to create magnifying lenses so he could more closely inspect […]

Tracking Rising Case Counts With Thanksgiving making a return this week, COVID-safe holiday gatherings are on many Americans’ minds. Axios recently shared some compelling statistics about Americans’ COVID vaccination status. Only 59 percent of adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Furthermore, only 37 percent of Americans over the age of 65 have received the […]

Living in a Germ State Germ theory isn’t a new idea: it’s been over 150 years since Louis Pasteur discovered and began to develop it. But society’s current hyper-focus on cleanliness and disinfection is somewhat of a contemporary phenomenon. Who knew that hand-washing, Lysol wipes, toilet paper, masks, and more would become such a large […]

Nearly two years after the COVID pandemic began, we are now gaining control over the deadly virus that upended the entire world as we know it. The catastrophic loss of lives and global economic devastation provided a harrowing reminder of how vulnerable we are, and the inadequacy of our ability as humans to protect ourselves […]

Cleaning and disinfecting with chemicals such as bleach have been go-to methods since the start of the last century. Chemical products are often inexpensive and convenient cleaners used in organizations, public facilities, and people’s homes. Recently, bleach and other chemical disinfection methods have been an integral part of disinfecting surfaces during the pandemic, helping curb […]

According to renowned Harvard researchers, by the time we reach 80, we will have spent 72 years of our lives indoors. This staggering fact means that healthy indoor environments and indoor air quality (IAQ) matter. Furthermore, facilities leaders responsible for the indoor spaces where we spend our time play an instrumental role in stewarding our […]

A version of this post originally appeared on Outcomes Rocket’s blog, following an interview with R-Zero’s President and Co-founder, Eli Harris. We are sharing it here with permission from Outcomes Rocket. Pre-pandemic, clean spaces were important. Today, a clean space is not enough. Thanks to the increased attention to public health and safety due to […]

In the mid 1800s, the British obstetrician Sir James Young Simpson argued that infections after surgical procedures were closely related to deficiencies in hospital design, ventilation, and management. Simpson had previously observed the negative effects of overcrowding in hospitals and studied the correlation between poor hospital conditions and mortality rates. He used the term hospitalism […]

If you ever labored through Homer’s The Odyssey in a high school literature class, you may recall the disturbing homecoming of the eponymous hero, Odysseus. What you may not remember is that the final scenes of Homer’s epic poem include one of the older records of disinfection practices in the western literary canon. Here’s what […]

The largest school system in the U.S., the New York City public schools, reopened on Monday, September 13th. To support this reopening, the schools implemented a large number of mitigation measures. On a dedicated webpage titled “Health and Safety in Our Schools,” the district shared 12 different mitigation measures, with ventilation at number seven on […]

With many schools across the U.S. already back in session, the Harris Poll fielded August 20th to 22nd surveyed parents about how they are feeling as their students return to classrooms and campuses. 60% of parents said knowing that some students are returning to school unvaccinated and potentially without masks makes them uncomfortable. 74% of […]

On Thursday, August 26th, R-Zero partnered with the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), also known as The School Superintendents Association, to host a panel discussion on best practices in working toward, “The New Standard for Healthy Classrooms: Fewer Sick Days, Better Performance.” The session brought together public health experts and school leaders to explore […]

According to urban legend, U.S. Surgeon General William Stewart made a bold proclamation in the later 1960s: “It is time to close the book on infectious diseases, and declare the war against pestilence won.” While subsequent research has unearthed no evidence that Stewart actually uttered these words, the statement reflects a pervasive naivety in the […]

On August 3rd, New York City’s mayor, Bill DeBlasio, announced a vaccine mandate for the city’s residents. This mandate requires proof of at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in order to participate in a variety of activities, including indoor dining, fitness, and performances, for both participants and employees. At the time of the […]

In March 2020, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the announcement marked the first time the Games had been postponed since their debut in 1896. The Games’ schedule had only been altered three other times – during World War I and World War II. At the time, […]

This afternoon, President Biden is expected to announce a new requirement for federal workers to either be vaccinated or submit to strict testing protocols. CNN has called this anticipated announcement and the recent CDC reversal on mask recommendations “emergency actions designed to contain a new surge of Covid-19 that has quickly become the top issue […]

Current headlines featuring words like “delta,” “gamma,” and “lambda” might conjure images of sororities and fraternities, but they are instead reports on the COVID variants that have been appearing worldwide. Viral variants are a natural part of viral evolution, and the proliferation of variants alone should not be cause for alarm. Dr. Inci Yildirim, MD, […]

By Grant Morgan, CEO and Co-Founder In the introduction to their influential 2020 book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber describe the multidisciplinary pursuit of healthier indoor spaces as “the greatest untapped business and health opportunity of our time.” Today, R-Zero is significantly advancing the […]

This year’s July 4th holiday weekend marked an inflection point for America’s ongoing emergence from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Multiple national news outlets noted how the anniversary of the country’s independence has coincided with significant indicators of resuming pre-pandemic behavior. Commenting on July 4th celebrations in the nation’s capital, The Washington Post described the weekend’s festivities […]

By Grant Morgan, CEO and Co-Founder R-Zero is a company with an ambitious vision: to create a world without sick days. Today, while a global pandemic continues to claim lives and devastate economies, that vision seems particularly far fetched. But we see a hopeful future – one even better than what we knew before – and […]

On March 23, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their guidance regarding building ventilation. While highlighting the importance of ventilation and air quality in the fight against COVID-19, the CDC acknowledged that there are “multiple mitigation strategies…to reduce the spread of disease and lower the risk of exposure.” In addition to […]

A Conversation with CDC and Education Leaders Regarding Infection Control Strategies for the Post-Covid Era Recently, R-Zero hosted a panel discussion with former CDC official Dr. Paula Fujiwara, and school leaders from across the country – to discuss the challenges and successes in safely returning to in-person learning.  Now, school districts across the country consider […]

While for much of the world, our enhanced focus on preventing the spread of illness indoors is a relatively new one, infection control has always been critical to senior care operations. Long before the pandemic, pathogenic threats like norovirus, VRE and MRSA have been ongoing challenges that required vigilant disinfection protocols across senior care facilities.  […]

And 91% Say Employers are Responsible for Health Experience brings both renewed priorities and new expectations. While it’s clear there will be new priorities and expectations from the employee-employer relationship, there has been much uncertainty from organizations as to what those are.  In April, R-Zero partnered with The Harris Poll to survey office workers across […]

By Ben Boyer, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, R-Zero Since co-founding Tenaya Capital in 2009, I’ve had the opportunity to invest in startups like Qunar, Eventbrite, and Lyft — companies that have transformed entire sectors and with them, our daily lives. But as I entered my 40s and began to think more about my impact on […]

by Scott Rhymes, The ABD Team When a social norm as common as a handshake may go the way of the Dodo bird, new expectations are bubbling to the surface that will influence how we reduce the spread of communicable diseases into the future. The pandemic has taught society, employers, and employees a lot about […]

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco was arguably the coworking capital of the U.S. In 2018, the city had more coworking spaces per capita than any other major city in the country. In San Francisco’s ecosystem of tech startups, entrepreneurs and creatives, coworking spaces have in recent years served as a preferred […]

(Updated October 11, 2021) In early March, President Biden signed his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Marking the largest one-time federal investment in education to date, the bill provided an unprecedented $125 billion in aid to K-12 schools and added to the pot of funding still available from previous rounds of relief. As schools navigate […]

By Kevin Samy, Government Affairs Lead at R-Zero In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring issued a stern warning against neglecting the immense risks of hazardous chemicals use, especially in pesticides. Her book helped encourage policymakers to take a hard look at the widespread application of DDT, a harmful pesticide, adding fuel to a burgeoning environmental […]

We need a new standard for infection prevention – one that prioritizes human health and ensures the safety of the spaces where we spend our time, and one where organizations of all shapes and sizes have access to the best technologies and protocols available today.

SAN FRANCISCO, December 9, 2020 — R-Zero, a biosafety company dedicated to developing the most effective hospital-grade UV-C disinfection technologies to reduce the spread of infectious disease, today announced its official membership with the International Ultraviolet Association, Inc. (IUVA). IUVA is a leading educational and advocacy organization composed of UV equipment vendors, scientists, engineers, consultants, […]

Discover UV-C disinfection safety essentials and what safeguards your UV-C disinfection system should include.

What it means to be a Double Bottom Line Company, and why that matters to us. We are thrilled to announce that R-Zero has closed $15M in Series A funding led by DBL Partners (Ira Ehrenpreis), with participation from a number of other world-class investors including Bedrock Capital (Geoff Lewis) and HAX / SOSV (Duncan […]

Navigating the crowded UV-C market can appear daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are four key considerations to ensure you’re selecting the best UV-C device for your environment.

Schools face unique challenges to re-opening. Discover the key considerations school leaders are addressing to strengthen infection prevention programs.

For the first time, schools can bring hospital-grade disinfection into their campuses on a daily basis. Learn why UV-C is an ideal disinfection solution for schools.

Dr. Richard Wade, PhD, MPH, R-Zero Chief Scientist shares how schools, businesses, and workplaces can implement long term infection prevention programs.

Discover how schools are using R-Zero Arc to destroy 99.99% of viruses in minutes without harmful impact of chemicals.

How does UV-C disinfection work? Get answers to the most common questions about UV-C.

R0 has long been considered a fundamental metric in the study of infectious disease dynamics. Get an introduction on R0 and how R-Zero is working to help reduce R0 values across communities.

Learn the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting to help develop the best infection prevention program.

If you are considering purchasing a UV-C disinfection device, it’s critical to understand how effective it is at reducing pathogens. Learn more about what testing results mean to make an informed decision when comparing UV-C devices.

Find out how your organization can employ UV-C to strengthen your disinfection protocols and make your facilities safer.

Our flagship product, Arc, is the first hospital-grade UV-C disinfection system designed for the dynamic environments of modern organizations. Proven to destroy 99.99% of surface and airborne pathogens in a 1,000 sq ft room in just 7 minutes, Arc is the most powerful, human-centric and adaptable UV-C system on the market.

It took a deadly virus we can’t even see to open our eyes. We have a vision, which from this moment in humanity’s history might seem lofty, but that is the point of visions: to be ambitious. While the majority of the world is forced to live day by day, we are taking the long […]