Tanja Nickel and Katharina Obladen were still in high school when they patented an idea to disinfect escalator handrails using UV light.

A decade later, their small German start-up UVIS can barely keep up with orders from around the world for their coronavirus-killing escalators and coatings for supermarket trolleys and elevator buttons.

“Everybody wants it done yesterday,” Obladen, 28, told AFP at the company’s workshop in central Cologne.

“The pandemic has made businesses realize they need to invest in hygiene precautions for staff and customers. It’s gone from nice-to-have to must-have.”

As Germany begins to relax some lockdown restrictions, the start-up’s five-person team has been inundated with requests from shops, offices and cafes eager to reopen to a public newly aware of the health risks lurking in shared spaces.