{"647311":{"#nid":"647311","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cleaning Procedures Change for Low-risk Areas","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe pandemic necessitated many changes in campus operations to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and keep the campus community safe.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOver the last 13 months, we have learned much about how the virus spreads. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/community\/disinfecting-building-facility.html\u0022\u003Eupdated their guidelines on cleaning and disinfection\u003C\/a\u003E of indoor spaces to account for the relatively low risk of infection from touching a surface.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;While we will continue to appropriately clean and disinfect common areas throughout campus, we are scaling back the frequency in low-risk areas as recommended by the CDC,\u0026rdquo; said Nazia Zakir, interim vice president of Sustainability, Facilities, and Safety.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeginning May 10, the following changes to the campus cleaning protocols will go into effect:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDiscontinuation of fogging of common spaces including hallways, meeting rooms, lobby areas, and classrooms. These types of common areas will be cleaned and disinfected daily by Custodial Services.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERestrooms and elevators will be cleaned and disinfected once a day. However, heavily used restrooms located in buildings that operate 24 hours a day (such as Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons) will continue to be cleaned and disinfected four times a day.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECleaning of labs will continue to be performed regularly by research personnel who have been trained in proper cleaning methods.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso, consistent with previous protocols, if an employee is diagnosed with or tests positive for Covid-19, areas occupied by the affected employee will be closed for 24 hours when possible. If a 24-hour closure is not feasible, the area will remain closed for as long as possible without disrupting campus operations.\u0026nbsp;Custodial Services\u0026nbsp;will clean and disinfect all areas used by\u0026nbsp;the Covid-19-positive person.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEnvironmental Health and Safety will continue to issue disinfectant, tissues, dry wipes, and hand sanitizer for common spaces and individual offices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In addition to getting a vaccine, one of the best ways to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other illnesses is to regularly wash your hands and use hand sanitizer,\u0026rdquo; Zakir said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDetailed cleaning procedures are posted on the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/facilities.gatech.edu\/covid-19-bldg-operations\u0022\u003EFacilities Management website\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERecently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their guidelines on cleaning and disinfection of indoor spaces to account for the relatively low risk of infection from touching a surface.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their guidelines on cleaning and disinfection of indoor spaces to account for the relatively low risk of infection from touching a surface."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2021-05-10 16:36:53","changed_gmt":"2021-05-10 18:49:08","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"485671":{"id":"485671","type":"image","title":"Green Cleaning","body":null,"created":"1452898800","gmt_created":"2016-01-15 23:00:00","changed":"1475895239","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:59","alt":"Green Cleaning","file":{"fid":"204306","name":"green_cleaning_small.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/green_cleaning_small_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/green_cleaning_small_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":73195,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/green_cleaning_small_0.jpg?itok=R4xwyc92"}}},"media_ids":["485671"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/facilities.gatech.edu\/covid-19-bldg-operations","title":"Covid-19 Facilities Operational Procedures"}],"groups":[{"id":"64319","name":"Administration and Finance"},{"id":"383831","name":"Facilities Management"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"185433","name":"cleaning"},{"id":"184288","name":"covid"},{"id":"187817","name":"cdc recommendations"},{"id":"35921","name":"Facilities Management"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}