Super Bowl LV Stadium Earns GBAC STAR Accreditation

The largest private school in Orlando, airports, convention centers, offices, hotels, and more have also earned GBAC STAR™ Accreditation this week.

What does the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL — site of this weekend’s Super Bowl LV — have in common with Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, and Hyatt hotel locations around the world? They are just some of the 54 facilities that have successfully completed the GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation Program. Also this week, Lake Highland Preparatory School, the largest private school in Orlando, FL was the second private school and the first on the East Coast to earn accreditation.

GBAC STAR Accreditation
Raymond James Stadium (Photo: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

The GBAC STAR™ Accreditation Program is performance-based and designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for their staffs and their buildings. Successful GBAC STAR facilities are able to demonstrate that correct work practices, procedures, and systems are in place to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

“Some of this year’s most prominent sporting events are around the corner, and we are excited that they will take place in GBAC STAR-accredited facilities,” said Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC) Executive Director Patricia Olinger. “Accreditation makes it possible for these locations to safely host players, staff, and fans who are eager to participate in and watch sports.”

Launched in May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GBAC STAR™ offers tools and documentation to assist facilities in developing the competencies, procedures, and protocols that meet accreditation requirements. GBAC’s team of scientific experts review and accredit facilities’ readiness for biohazard events.

Raymond James Stadium plans to welcome about 22,000 spectators for the National Football League (NFL) championship game on February 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.

This week’s newly accredited facilities include:

Airports

  • Meadows Field Airport, Bakersfield, CA
  • Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, San Jose, CA
  • Yampa Valley Regional Airport, Hayden, CO

Arenas and Stadiums

  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts
  • Raymond James Stadium (Tampa Sports Authority), Tampa, FL, home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN

Commercial Offices

  • ABM Industries, Tustin, CA
  • Gestion de Placements Manuvie, Montreal
  • InterActiveCorp/IAC, New York
  • LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, Katy, TX
  • The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (420 Notre-Dame), Montreal
  • The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (485 McGill), Montreal

Convention Centers

  • Greater Richmond Convention Center, Richmond, VA
  • Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, Grapevine, TX
  • Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis

Hotels

  • Akyra Thonglor Bangkok, Bangkok
  • Farncombe Estate Dormy House Hotel, Broadway, United Kingdom
  • Grand Hotel Yerevan, Yerevan, Armenia
  • Hotel Bernini Palace, Florence, Italy
  • Hotel Principe Forte Dei Marmi, Forte dei Marmi Lucca, Italy
  • Hotel Sacher Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
  • Hotel Sacher Wien, Wien, Austria
  • Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center,n Anaheim, CA
  • Hyatt House DTC,n Greenwood Village, CO
  • Hyatt House Tampa, Tampa, FL
  • Hyatt Place Boston/Medford, Medford, MA
  • Hyatt Place Greensboro Downtown, Greensboro, NC
  • Hyatt Place Hampton Convention Center, Hampton, VA
  • Hyatt Place Houston Downtown, Houston
  • Hyatt Place North Charleston in North Charleston, SC
  • Hyatt Place Provo/Downtown, Provo, UT
  • Hyatt Place Savannah Airport, Savannah, GA
  • Hyatt Place Tampa, Tampa, FL
  • Hyatt Place Wilmington Riverfront, Wilmington, DE
  • Hyatt Place Yinchuan Dayuecheng, Yinchuan Ningxia, China
  • Hyatt Regency Shanghai Wujiaochang, Shanghai
  • Hyatt Regency Taghazout, Aorir, Morocco
  • Hyatt Regency Xiamen Wuyuanwan, Xiamen, China
  • Hyatt Regency Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan
  • Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Tokyo
  • JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square,n San Francisco
  • Keemala, Phuket, Thailand
  • Lanson Place Hotel, Hong Kong
  • Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa,n Lake Placid, NY
  • Parisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, Budapest
  • Sundial Beach Resort & Spa/Columbus Hospitality, Sanibel, FL
  • The Greenwich Hotel, New York
  • The Inn at Meadowbrook, Prairie Village, KS
  • The Ivy Hotel, Baltimore

K-12 School

  • Lake Highland Preparatory School, Orlando, FL

Performing Arts Centers

  • Coca-Cola Music Hall, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Paso Robles, CA

Worship Facility

  • Christ Fellowship Church, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

“GBAC STAR accreditation goes beyond the traditional approach of ‘if it smells and looks clean, it is clean’,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett. “Instead, we are making sure facilities have the necessary knowledge, chemicals, tools, and equipment to clean and disinfect to protect public health.”

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