PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Summer 2020

Summer 2020  •  PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters  • 31 list, List N, can be found here. This means that products that are effective against COVID-19 are readily available. Guests will be paying much more attention to cleanliness and hygiene, and likely be looking for obvious signs of cleaning. Cleaning will no longer be a behind the scenes operation, and it will need to take place more frequently. Both within guest rooms and throughout the facility, cleaning procedures will take place throughout the day to increase their frequency and visibility rather than primarily during off-peak hours. Rather than focusing on high-touch surfaces, all hard surfaces will be disinfected on a regular basis, and increased attention will be brought to each cleaning process. Prior to the pandemic, our guidance to housekeepers already included extensive cleaning and sanitizing procedures for hotel rooms. Post-pandemic, we are recommending that hotel operators reinforce the basics that should already be in practice while also adding additional measures in place such as making cleaning more visible and frequent as well as ensuring that all disinfecting products are approved by the EPA for use against the virus and are used properly. Ultimately, each hotel operator has its own cleaning regimen and routine in place for housekeepers to follow and should provide employees the resources they need to be successful. Each hotel operator will also need to follow guidance from local public health authorities; however, management should follow basic protocol to protect all employees, including: • Provide proper PPE and training on how to use equipment for all staff. • Create safety guidance for Housekeeping staff on when and how to safely clean guest rooms, public spaces, and employee spaces. • Communicate sick time policy to staff and encourage staff to stay home if feeling sick. • Encourage social distancing across all roles in the hotel. This may mean having one housekeeper at a time cleaning a room where previous guidance might have recommended two or more at a time. • Through its team of 50,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions to customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. For more information, visit ecolab.com/coronavirus.