Schools must not rely on children being vaccinated to curb Covid infections

The ‘theatre’ of technological solutions can provide further reassurance and reminders to staff and pupils to maintain high hygiene levels

 

As the government looks at scrapping the rules around groups of pupils having to self-isolate if a single member of their bubble tests positive for coronavirus, schools must go further to mitigate the risk of infection spread, according to hygiene experts.

 

Jarek Salek, head of engineering and technical operations at Uvisan, said: “While there are ambitions to vaccinate all secondary school-aged children before they return to the classroom in September, schools and other educational establishments should implement further and more stringent hygiene measures, to continue to curb infection risk.

 

“With Covid-related absence from schools at its highest rate since schools reopened in March 2021 and concerns expressed by educational staff around their own wellbeing, it is clear that we are not yet out of the woods, and targeting virus transmissions in schools and universities should be a priority.

 

“On top of the vaccination programme, which continues its roll out to younger members of society, schools and universities must implement visible and frequent disinfection measures to remind staff and pupils to be aware of the continued need for the highest hygiene standards. The ‘theatre’ of technological solutions can provide further reassurance and reminders to staff and pupils to maintain high cleanliness levels at all times.

 

“As well as reintroducing masks in the classroom, schools and universities should be progressing with rigorous disinfection processes, which allow them to continue to use shared equipment and resources, in order to retain the same level and quality of learning. For example, using UV-C disinfection cabinets to decontaminate small, handheld items such as tablets, headphones and VR headsets, provides an efficient means of disinfection, killing 99.9% of bacteria in five minutes, as well as saving teaching staff’s time manually wiping down all surfaces of the shared equipment.

 

“Entire classrooms, halls and bathrooms can be made safer using ambient UV-C lamps or air purification systems which will reduce the spread of Covid, as well as future-proofing facilities from future contagious illness outbreaks.”

 

Uvisan’s UV-C cabinets use medical-grade lamps on a cleaning cycle that kills 99.99% of bacteria in five minutes. UV-C has been scientifically proven to kill bacteria, spores, viruses, protozoans, moulds and yeast, protecting tech users from general illness, as well as coronavirus. The cabinets are currently in use in schools and universities in the UK, with many more organisations planning to incorporate the futuristic technology into their disinfection management plans ahead of the September return to school and university.

 

The UV-C cabinets can store a range of other appliances and equipment, including phones, laptops, tablets, toys and games, VR headsets, peripherals and accessories, plus Uvisan is 100% recyclable, with no waste going to landfill. Cabinets are lockable, meaning valuables can be safely stored inside.

 

For more information, visit www.uvisan.com.