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Warrington-based Christeyns Food Hygiene, who manufacture specialist hygiene solutions, stresses the importance of hard surface hygiene in reducing the risks of future Coronavirus contamination in public spaces.
“In the coming months, as the nation goes back to work and a return towards life as normal, there will be a long battle to face and that will be keeping public areas as hygienically clean as possible,” explains Graham Hunneman, Director at CFH. “For many industry sectors the, often overlooked, area of contact point hygiene will need to be addressed differently than it was prior to the pandemic. In order to help avoid a second wave, hygiene and cleaning routines need to be enhanced across the board.”
There are multiple touch points that we encounter during our normal day, such as door handles and buttons, escalator handrails, touch screens, vending machines, as we travel through stations, airports, shopping malls. The vital role played by cleaning staff will need to take on a more comprehensive function, to include regular, effective sanitisation on multiple hard surfaces.
Research is ongoing into Covid-19 (novel Coronavirus) but evidence has shown already that infectivity on hard surfaces can remain for up to several days in the right conditions. It is worth noting that according to the WHO the advice given is on cleaning and disinfection and not disinfection alone. The use of a product that combines the best attributes of both a detergent and a disinfectant, or sanitiser, would be the best choice.
Hand hygiene is the second battle to address if we hope to win the war against contamination. Much focus has been on the use of alcohol hand-sanitiser, however if incorrectly used these products can provide a false sense of security. A recent WHO report commented on the importance of hand washing using soap and water as well as stating that: “handwashing is a greater protective barrier to infection than wearing disposable gloves”. The report goes on to comment that “Hand sanitisers can be used as an additional measure but should not replace handwashing”.
Hand washing does need to be effective however, and it is easy to miss certain areas. Continual reminders of how to wash hands properly is also important to avoid complacency. Whilst alcohol hand-sanitisers have a role to play in ensuring our safety during the current outbreak, when there is no other alternative, it is the practice of effective hand washing that is critical using a properly formulated product.
Information and search results pertaining to Covid-19 will without doubt move forward and Christeyns Food Hygiene has said it will continue to monitor developments and issue further guidance to its customers should the situation change, or new technologies become available.
