Temporary guidelines for cleaning in non-medical facilities exposed to SARS-CoV-2 !!!

Aim of the document: This document aims to provide guidelines for proper cleaning of the environment and surfaces in non-medical facilities (eg rooms, offices, schools, transport) where a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection (coronavirus) was present before hospitalization.

The guidelines are based on the knowledge gained so far about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and evidence from studies on other coronaviruses.

COVID-19

The causative agent involved in the current 2019 coronavirus disease epidemic (COVID-19), SARS-CoV-2 (genus: Betacoronavirus), belongs to the Coronaviridae family, a large family of enveloped, positively charged single-stranded RNA viruses. Coronaviruses are in most cases transmitted by large respiratory droplets and contact transmission, but other modes of transmission have also been proposed.

Survival time and conditions affecting the environmental sustainability of SARS-CoV-2 are currently unknown. According to studies assessing the environmental stability of other coronaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is estimated to survive for several days in the environment, and coronavirus associated with Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) can survive more than 48 hours at average room temperature. temperature (20 ° C) on different surfaces [1-3].

Ways to clean the environment

Due to the potential survival of the virus in the environment for several days, the area and areas potentially contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 should be cleaned before reuse, using products with antimicrobial activity that are known to be effective against coronavirus. Although there is a lack of concrete evidence of their effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, cleaning with water and household detergents and the use of common disinfectants should be sufficient for general safety cleaning.

Several antimicrobial agents were tested against different coronaviruses (Table 1). Some of the active ingredients, e.g. sodium hypochlorite (found in bleach) and ethanol alcohol are widely available in non-medical and non-laboratory conditions.

A recent article comparing different health germicides [4] found that those with 70% ethanol had a stronger effect on the two coronaviruses tested (mouse hepatitis virus and transmissible gastroenteritis virus) after one minute of contact on a hard surface compared to 0, 06% sodium hypochlorite. Studies conducted using SARS-CoV have shown that sodium hypochlorite is effective at a concentration of 0.05 and 0.1% after five minutes when mixed with a solution containing SARS-CoV [5]. Similar results were obtained using household detergents containing sodium lauryl ether sulfate, alkyl polyglycosides, and coconut fatty acid diethanolamide [5].

Access to cleaning

For decontamination: Use 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (1:50 dilution if bleach is used at an initial concentration of 5%) after cleaning with a neutral detergent. There are no data on efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. For surfaces that can be damaged by the use of sodium hypochlorite, a 70% concentration of ethanol is required for decontamination after cleaning with a neutral detergent. Cleaning should be done with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Proper PPE dressing and undressing must be observed (8). Disposable PPE should be treated as potentially infectious material and disposed of in accordance with national rules. The use of disposable or dedicated cleaning equipment is recommended. Reusable PPE should be decontaminated using available products (eg 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 70% ethanol). When other chemical products are used, the manufacturer's recommendations should be followed and the products should be prepared and applied in accordance with them. When using chemical cleaning products, it is important to keep the area ventilated (eg by opening windows) to protect the health of cleaning staff. Personal protective equipment necessary when cleaning rooms contaminated with SARS-CoV-2:

Class 2 or 3 face mask (FFP2 or FFP3)
Goggles or face shield (visor)
Disposable waterproof long-sleeved suit,
Disposable gloves

All areas that are frequently touched, such as all accessible wall and window surfaces, the toilet bowl and bathroom surfaces, should also be carefully cleaned. All textiles (eg bed linen, curtains, etc.) should be washed using warm water (90 ° C) and laundry detergent. If the hot water cycle cannot be used due to tissue characteristics, special chemicals should be added when washing textiles (eg bleach or laundry detergents containing sodium hypochlorite or decontamination products specially developed for use on textiles).

SOURCE: ECEC Technical report: Interim guidance for environmental cleaning in non-healthace facilities exposed to SARS-CoV-2

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