School Bus Safety Amid COVID 19
Ensuring our children are healthy and safe are always at the top of our priority list. Especially amid COVID-19 virus concerns. But ask yourself, what can schools do differently today from the time our kids get on and off the bus? Can you imagine how many surfaces each kid touches on any given day in the classroom? Then add in a School Bus, which also has multiple surfaces that need to be sprayed or wiped after each use. How on earth can the school district and transportation company ensure the buses are as clean as possible for our students? Should parents pack a small bottle of sanitizer with their kids and will they use it?
We found many Bus Operators are planning to sanitize seats and frequently touched surfaces. Is that good enough to send your child back to school or do we need to do more? Should the bus driver be responsible for spraying each kid’s hands or is that the parent’s responsibility? All questions that are being asked now and will be factored into the plan for reopening.
The CDC, along with state and local officials have set up guidelines for transportation departments to use. Meanwhile, bus owner manuals address how to clean school buses but not how often. And only disinfectants containing a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol should be used on seats (when not hot from the sun) and seatbelts. Using an appropriate disinfectant such as a MATGUARD 32 oz Surface Spray will aid the bus drivers and operators too. Here are the CDC guidelines to follow:
1. Spray down surfaces after every run including morning, afternoon, and any special runs.
2. Spray front and backs of every seat.
3. Spray entry handrail.
4. Spray accessories, windows, window latches, and side walls.
5. Spray surfaces & hardware of doorways as well as driver controls, steering wheel & mirrors.
6. Spray any other surface areas that may be frequently touched by students and staff.
In addition, bus drivers should be trained to observe all students entering the bus. If a child appears to be ill there should be a protocol set in place to isolate that child or children to keep from spreading germs to others. Then extra care needs to be taken to disinfect and sanitize the bus as soon as possible.
Implementing these simple steps will help to protect not only our students but our bus drivers and aids as well. Choosing the right disinfectant product is also critical. Make the responsible choice. Look for ingredients that include 70% Isopropyl Alcohol that is Non-Caustic. Check out MATGUARD’s athletic-surface-disinfectants-cleaners
MATGUARD® surface cleaners are also effective against a broad spectrum of germs and viruses including MRSA, Hepatitis, Staph, E-Coli and 99.9% of all harmful bacteria.
