A device to neutralise Covid-19 at in-store payment terminals after every transaction has been launched by ATM business Cennox.

The Cennox UVC Keypad Cleaner uses UVC light to attack surface-clinging viruses present on point-of-sale terminals and chip and PIN devices, helping retailers protect customers and give them confidence at one of the highest touch point areas of any store.

Cennox chief operating officer Nick Cockett said: “Many shoppers are going into supermarkets and retail stores under the false impression that a spray of bleach or alcohol solution will keep them safe, but research shows that these solutions can take up to 10 minutes to become effective. When you think of how many customers might use a payment terminal in that time, you begin to see how ineffective these measures truly are.”

The casing of the Cennox device sits around a retailer’s existing chip and PIN device, closes and blasts the device with UVC light, and according to Cennox this neutralises the virus in 30 seconds.

Cockett continued: “While UVC is a tried, tested and proven solution, the application we have created is a unique, patented device at this crucial time for retailers when they need total confidence in the measures they put in place.”

The device has been designed to integrate with the top 10 POS systems.