Reading the article as most university press releases should be, this looks like a grab for some of the government money to 'explain away' the current covid sit

Reading the article as most university press releases should be, this looks like a grab for some of the government money to 'explain away' the current covid situation and mindset. Just think, if this was cost-effective/safe/efficient/didn't-have-side-effect-X-such-as-breaking-down-plastics we'd likely be using it already...