By ISSA and R.V. Baugus
Raymond James Stadium plans to welcome about 22,000 spectators for the championship game on Feb. 7, 2021, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the city’s very own Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Lucas Oil Stadium will host the NCAA quarterfinals in late March and the semifinals in early April. Each stadium fulfilled 20 program elements to achieve accreditation and display the GBAC STAR accreditation seal.
The latest list of facilities to achieve GBAC STAR™ accreditation also includes the world’s first children’s museum and arboretum in Salt Lake City’s Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum and Red Butte Garden and Arboretum.
“The goal of GBAC STAR accreditation is twofold. First and foremost, it helps protect frontline employees 
and cleaning staff from biological risks,” said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “It also gives the public confidence to enter these accredited facilities knowing that they understand how best to clean, disinfect, and prevent infectious disease outbreaks.”
GBAC STAR teaches the proper protocols, correct disinfection techniques, and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations like the novel coronavirus. The accreditation is valid for one year, at which point facilities undergo a reaccreditation process to showcase their ongoing commitment to maintaining safe and clean spaces. To date, more than 1,100 facilities around the world have achieved GBAC STAR accreditation and an additional 2,700 are currently pursuing the designation.
This week, the following facilities have earned GBAC STAR accreditation, the gold standard for facility preparedness:
Arenas and Stadiums
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Sports Authority) in Tampa, Fla., home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Olympia Entertainment, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, home of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons
Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas
Convention Center
Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas
Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Va.
Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine, Texas
Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis
Performing Arts Centers
Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, Calif.
Theaters
Riverside Theater in Milwaukee.
“As the novel coronavirus pandemic demonstrates, infectious disease can spiral out of control when we’re ill prepared,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “With GBAC STAR accreditation, we’re giving facilities the tools to prepare for, respond to, and recover from outbreaks so they can protect their customers and employees, even during times of uncertainty.”
For more information about GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation, visit gbac.org/star
To locate facilities that have achieved or are in the process of earning accreditation, visit the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.
IAVM members seeking to apply for accreditation through GBAC, please use the link https://gbac.issa.com/iavm/!
