AGORACOM Small-cap Investor Relations Blog

The COVID-19 Pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy but perhaps no industry has suffered worse than the travel industry which could suffer an unfathomable loss of $US 3.3 TRILLION (Not A Typo) if it can’t find a practical solution to replace the shut down and / or quarantine measures mandated around the world.  Specifically, as of today, travel restrictions by country are as follows: 

• 58 countries are completely closed
• 124 countries are partially open with MANDATORY quarantine upon arrival

Unlike the restaurant business which can mitigate losses through alternative models such as take-out, delivery and outdoor patios, the travel industry has no mitigation solutions.  Countries are either shut down or implementing such strict quarantine requirements that they might as well be shut down.  The only solution is a complete solution that combines venue tracing, contact tracing and rapid testing to give government, airlines and cruise ships the comfort they need to know that travellers are not spreading COVID-19 to each other, or to other countries. 

Loop Insights CEO, Rob Anson confirmed this when he said:

“We have heard from stakeholders in the entertainment, travel, and hospitality industries that have stressed the importance of an end-to-end integrated solution capable of protecting employees and customers to facilitate a safe economic recovery.”

ENTER THE “TRAVEL BUBBLE”

Earlier today, Empower Clinics (CBDT:CSE) and Loop Insights (MTRX:TSXV) announced they have combined forces to provide an end-to-end COVID-19 mitigation solution complete with venue tracing, real-time automated guest exposure notifications and frequent testing with rapid results in 15 minutes.  More than just lip service, each company brings a strong recent track record of success in their respective parts of the bubble as follows:

LOOP INSIGHTS

As the front facing part of the Travel Bubble solution, Loop Insights is a powerful Artificial Intelligence company whose industry leading venue tracing has gained significant traction towards reopening the tourism, hospitality and entertainment industries in the United States with the likes of University of Houston and the NCAA Basketball #VegasBubble, as well as, recently being recognized by TELUS as one of the most advanced IoT solutions in the world for their customers.

EMPOWER CLINICS

Empower’s rapid antigen and antibody tests produce results in only 15 minutes, providing airlines, cruise ships and the 182 countries currently in full or partial shutdown with the safety and security necessary to fully reopen their borders to international travel. Moreover, Empower’s KAI Medical Laboratory is a high-complexity accredited laboratory that provides reliable and accurate testing solutions to enterprise level clients, including the gold standard COVID-19 RT-PCR testing  with the capacity to process 4,000 tests per day. Empower recently announced a deal to provide a major film and television studio with 1,000 such tests.

Together, the two companies believe the Travel Bubble combination of frequent testing and a robust international tracing platform provides the end-to-end protection necessary to spark a strong global economic recovery.

Sounds too good to be true?  Both companies still have to execute but they advise that advanced discussions are already underway with major airlines, cruise ship companies and hotel operators.

Watch or listen to this powerful interview with Empower CEO, Steve McAuley and Loop CEO, Rob Anson to learn more about their potential game changing Travel Bubble solution.