It’s happened everywhere throughout our region: businesses temporarily closing after an employee tests positive for coronavirus.
But, what are the next steps in cleaning and getting the doors back open?
“Some days, we’re running 24 hours around the clock,” said Rick McBride, general manager for Service First. “Other days we’re running 12 hours straight through. It all depends on how quickly people want it done.”
He says calls for disinfecting services have skyrocketed.
“We have been called by hundreds and hundreds of people who are just unsure how to handle this and unsure how to clean their buildings properly,” McBride said.
The CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health have strict guidelines for business owners cleaning after someone tests positive for COVID-19.
You have to ventilate the areas the person was in for at least 24 hours, if possible, and then use an EPA registered disinfectant to clean every surface.
“It covers everything,” said operations manager Sean Humphrey. “You mist it, pretty much. It covers all the surfaces, horizontal and vertical.”
Service First uses a fog machine on everything, even on fabric.
They pay close attention to high touch points, like desks, chairs, door knobs, and even the handles on your car.
“We’re always going to err on the side of caution and tell them a disinfected building is a clean building ,” Humphrey said.
McBride says they’re urging people to be proactive, not reactive.
“Different people are handling this different ways,” McBride said. “A lot of customers want their places done weekly. Some want them done monthly. Some want them done as soon as they find out somebody was in their building and is sick.”
McBride expects business to increase even more in the next few weeks.
Several businesses have reached out about getting on their schedule, in hopes of re-opening soon.
