School cleaning: Hygiene And Sanitation First. Several days ago, the schools officially reopened, and it is the first school year (or academic year, for universities) since the Coronavirus emergency last spring. Never as in these circumstances, all school activities resume with the full awareness of how important it is to maintain the right hygiene and sanitation in the environments shared by students, teachers, and operators.
A school is a place where children and young people spend a lot of time every day. We must keep this in safe conditions to significantly reduce the possibility of contagion and contamination. The responsibility for the hygiene of educational structures will result from everyone’s commitment. From the institutes to the individual pupil and teachers.
This commitment will entail not only the study of safety protocols for each individual area. Which favors restricted entrances and social distancing as well as the regular sanitation and sanitation of spaces but also timely training of the school cleaning staff, to whom all the products and devices it must provide in an accurate and timely manner to operate at their best.
How to avoid the spread of harmful microorganisms and viruses: the basic rules and critical points
Several months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. What is now unanimously recognized as basic hygiene rules should now have been widely acknowledged.
However, let’s see together how to apply them to school life at every level , from primary schools to universities.
- First rule: if you have symptoms, stay home. Do not go to school if you are not feeling well or if you show symptoms. We can trace this back to a communicable disease this behavior is essential to containing possible infections. Fever, cough, cold and respiratory problems should always prompt you to consult the health authority or your primary care physician.
- Second rule: avoid sharing objects. In this phase of returning to the “new normal”, it is advisable that at school or university we do not share common objects such as pens, pencils, notebooks, books, games, tools, and electronic devices. If sharing is essential, we must properly disinfect any object.
- The third rule: don’t touch your face. Our hands continually come into contact with an infinite number of microorganisms, some of which are potentially dangerous to health. Avoiding contact with the face, and in particular with the eyes, nose, and mouth is a simple action that massively reduces the possibility of contagion.
- Fourth rule: keep your environment clean. Without prejudice to the sanitation and sanitation actions that schools will carry out regularly in the common areas, you too should get into the habit of disinfecting your personal spaces – such as the desk or the desk – before and after their use.
- The fifth rule: have with you / provide what you need. In order to drastically reduce the possibility of contamination and facilitate the sanitization of objects and environments, you should have hand gel, hygienic wipes, and personal protective equipment (masks and possibly gloves), as well as that the center of educational supplies soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, handkerchiefs, cloths, dispensers, and baskets, paper towels and everything necessary to promote hygiene. Even more. Preferred will be the so-called “contactless” solutions, such as those with controlled dispensing.
Critical Points
Besides the basic rules listed above, in school and university structures it will then be necessary to pay particular attention to critical points, i.e. those areas of the structure where the risk of contamination and contagion will inevitably be greater.
These areas include the toilets/bathrooms for both students and operators, the canteen, kitchens, classrooms, and entrances.
The reason is simple. Many people daily frequent these environments. But also characterized by objects and elements that are touched and manipulated continuously. Such as door and window handles, light switches, railings, computers, toilets, sinks, and so on. They will therefore have to be disinfected even more carefully in order to limit the spread of viruses and germs.
What do the legal provisions of the Return Plan say?
The Return Plan developed by the Government sets out very clear rules regarding the resumption of educational activities. Let’s see them together:
- Under six-year-olds are not required to wear masks
- School canteens and refectories may be operational but adequately organized to provide meals in complete safety
- All the premises used for school meals must be thoroughly cleaned.
- We must thoroughly clean
We must thoroughly clean ● All the premises used for school meals and sanitized and sanitize. All the premises are used for school meals daily.
- Schools will have to make the necessary sanitizing products available to students, teachers, and operators.
- Hand sanitation must be allowed at the entrance to each classroom
- We must always favor the activity of washing hands with soap and water someone.
- The management of the institutes must have ensured, before the reopening of the lessons, thorough school cleaning of all the premises
In conclusion: the infections are contained by operating in a synergy
The containment of the spread of viruses and bacteria is always the result of a synergistic action by everyone. This principle does not change even within educational structures.
Because of each person’s virtuous behavior, there is obviously the correct education regarding the protocols to be respected, but also the possibility of using the most suitable products to ensure the correct sanitation of environments and surfaces.
With close collaboration between schools, teachers, operators, families, manufacturers, and distributors of school cleaning products. Educational activities can be carried out safely, and reducing infections will become possible.
Get in touch with SCS Group Integrated Services, a leading company in the supply of products and equipment for professional school cleaning.
