Schools are ‘deep cleaning’ to fight coronavirus. Why some experts say it’s likely a waste of time. - The Washington Post

Schools are ‘deep cleaning’ to fight coronavirus. Why some experts say it’s likely a waste of time. - The Washington Post

Schools are ‘deep cleaning’ to fight coronavirus. Why some experts say it’s probably a waste of time.

Delaware’s Laurel School District closed its campuses Thursday and Friday to “deep clean” its schools after it was learned that a staff member had recently had contact with a traveler from a country with a viral outbreak. Neither the staff member nor the traveler had symptoms, and the Delaware Division of Public Health advised the district that closing schools was an “unnecessary precaution.”

Laurel is just one of a growing number of districts across the country in which schools are deep cleaning their buildings in the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes the pandemic illness covid-19 — though some experts on infectious diseases say it could well be a waste of time.

Deep cleaning involves floor-to-ceiling cleaning and disinfecting in a school building that sets the stage for regular, less comprehensive cleaning of heavily traveled areas and surfaces. Some schools are closing down briefly for deep cleaning and hiring third-party companies to do the job, while others are doing it on the weekend and with their own custodial staff.

Marcus Plescia is the chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which represents state public health departments. He said deep cleaning may be a waste of time and money.

“There is this ongoing debate about how long the coronavirus can live on hard surfaces, and most of us think not very long,” he said. “It thrives on people’s bodies, not out in the open on a hard service. It’s not clear, so the uncertainty may be what is moving to have schools deep clean.

“It makes people feel better that there is this thorough cleaning done, but how effective it is, we don’t know,” he said.

He said that deep cleaning may be an attempt for some schools to find a balance between keeping schools open and closing them, when it is not clear closing them will help stem the virus, either. CONTINUE READING: Schools are ‘deep cleaning’ to fight coronavirus. Why some experts say it’s likely a waste of time. - The Washington Post

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