The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released new guidance allowing schools to safely reopen to in-class education, citing specific cases where schools who had previously implemented stringent cleaning and mitigation strategies have already been successful.
CDC Offers Lengthy Guidelines to Aid Schools in Long-Term Reopening Procedures
The CDC has recently released new guidance for schools, allowing for students' and teachers' safe return to in-classroom learning.
The voluminous guidelines essentially boil down to:
- Determining the rate of spread of COVID-19 within the community to assess potential risk.
- Implement layered mitigation strategies based on the assessed risk.
- Gradually relax mitigation strategies and increase in-class learning as the virus abates.
The major mitigation strategies include:
- Social distancing of facility occupants by at least six feet.
- Wearing properly fit masks.
- Contact tracing.
- Increased hand hygiene compliance, and;
- Maintaining a clean and hygienic facility.
The question remains--how long will these new policies be required?
The answer is, unfortunately, potentially for several years to come.
According to a recent CleanLink article;
Experts in the fields of science, medicine and infection control are worried that the coronavirus could be a consistent issue for society over the course of the next several years.
William Haseltine, a scientist, former professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health and now a contributing author for Forbes, wrote in a long piece that he can now say with certainty that the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are reason to be alarmed and future variants of COVID-19 could be an issue for many years.
Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, said that eradicating the new coronavirus is going to be next to impossible, reports ABC News. Coronavirus, it appears, is here to stay.
Effective Cleaning Mitigation Strategies
Increasing the rate of cleaning and disinfection services in the classroom and other shared facilities has allowed schools to remain open and reopen after a long hiatus.
However, the solution presents additional challenges--increased pressure on historically understaffed janitorial teams to produce high-level cleaning outcomes with little to no increase in available labor resources.
One method that has proven effective is cooperative cleaning--leveraging students and teachers to aid in the cleaning and disinfection of highly trafficked areas and regularly touched surfaces to assist in the school's hygiene and safety program.
The trick to successfully implementing such a program relies on open lines of communication between custodians, students, and faculty regarding safe cleaning and disinfection practices and keeping the procedures as simple as possible.
Various schools have implemented tools ranging from direct interaction between custodial staff and teachers, instructional cards that explain how and when to clean, and Youtube channels with detailed explanations and examples of high-outcome cleaning procedures.
While methods and tasks vary between schools and districts, the approach that appears to generate the most desirable outcomes include:
- Choosing a broad-spectrum disinfectant spray that is rated against SARS-Cov-2 and sticking with it.
- Using disposable paper towels to avoid cross-contamination.
- Placing COVID cleaning kits in classrooms for students and teachers.
- Have students and teachers wipe down their desktops and other commonly touched surfaces several times throughout the day, and;
- Leveraging students and teachers to take out the trash.
Cited benefits of cooperative cleaning include an increased appreciation for the janitorial staff and the services they provide and a significant decrease in the amount of time required for the custodial team to clean and sanitize the entire school.
References & Resources
- CDC Releases New Guidance For Safe Return To Schools
- Cooperative Cleaning Helps Schools Reopen
- Keep It Simple When Disinfecting
Takeaway
It would appear by all accounts that we can expect to be dealing with COVID for years to come, and may never be fully rid of it.
Fortunately, enhanced cleaning and layered mitigation strategies have provided a path through this challenge.
Aiding in the effort--increased cooperation between students, teachers, and custodial staff--which has resulted in several unexpected outcomes, including a new appreciation for the work janitors perform, and increased respect for the spaces students and teachers occupy.
A note of caution when leveraging students and teachers for disinfecting tasks--the chemicals are often hazardous and can result in long-term health issues without the proper safety equipment, precautions, and training.
A potential cost-effective alternative to leveraging untrained students and teachers to perform laborious cleaning duties while handling deadly toxic chemicals is to outsource day porter and other services to an experienced local service provider.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno, CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Palmdale, CA or Lancaster, CA, call (661) 371-4756
