With news of the progressing COVID-19 pandemic dominating global headlines, it can be easy to lose sight of the basic things we already know will help keep us healthy. When it comes to preventing the spread of this disease in cannabis facilities, it’s crucial to double down on the simple infection prevention strategies that have stood the test of time. Here are some of the best things you can do to protect your team from COVID-19:
1
HAVE A PLAN
Like most businesses, cannabis facilities may not have a plan in place for events like COVID-19. Infection prevention is a true team effort, and everyone at your facility has a role to play in creating an infection control protocol that works for your facility. This plan may include mandating that sick workers stay home and outlining how they will be compensated, ensuring that employees have access to hand sanitizers, and developing a schedule for regular disinfection of high-touch surfaces throughout your facility. Getting buy-in from everyone on your team will go a long way in ensuring that everyone is taking the appropriate precautions.
2
WASH YOUR HANDS
The importance of regular handwashing cannot be overstated. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective at killing germs on your hand, but they cannot be used as a replacement for handwashing. Using soap and water is required to actually clean and remove dirt and germs from your hands, and along with avoiding contact with sick people, is among the most important measures in staying healthy. Encourage your entire team to routinely wash their hands for at least 20 seconds throughout the day.
3
REGULARLY DISINFECT SURFACES AND EQUIPMENT
The virus that causes COVID-19 is known to survive on surfaces, and Health Canada recommends cleaning surfaces and objects to prevent this route of pathogen transmission.1 While disinfecting surfaces within growing rooms is always important to prevent the transmission of plant pathogens, this human outbreak may call for bringing the disinfectants into other areas of your facility such as office spaces, hallways, and storage areas. In particular, high-touch surfaces should be disinfected on a regular basis. This includes your staff room and kitchen surfaces, desks, computer keyboards, mice, door knobs, light switches, and phones – these surfaces can harbour viruses, and easily spread them from one person to the next.
4
AVOID HARSH CHEMICALS
In the event of an outbreak such as COVID-19, there is a tendency to think that harsh chemicals are required for strong efficacy against a new virus. This is far from the case: coronaviruses are fragile pathogens which can be easily killed by most registered disinfectants. To kill coronavirus while protecting the safety of your team, select a disinfectant with broad-spectrum virucidal efficacy that is non-irritating at in-use solutions.
As the creators of the Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®) technology behind SHYIELD™ Disinfectants, we have a long history of responding to disease outbreaks. The SARS outbreak brought awareness to the safety and efficacy of our technology, which was further validated by our widespread use in hospitals and more recently, on the Princess cruise ships dealing with this current coronavirus pandemic.
We are confident that SHYIELD™ can play a role in helping your facility protect itself against this potentially devastating virus by offering safe, fast and environmentally responsible solutions that are approved by Health Canada for use against this emerging coronavirus.2 SHYIELD™ pre-moistened disinfectant wipes are ideal for wiping down high-touch surfaces throughout your facility, while the concentrate can be used for mopping floors and covering other large surface areas.
Although the current climate may be one of fear and uncertainty, it’s important to keep in mind that we can all take precautions to do our best to stay healthy. In times like these, implementing robust infection prevention throughout your facility is the best investment you can make. We’re here to help.
REFERENCES: 1. Health Canada. Coronavirus disease(COVID-19): Prevention and risks. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks.html 2. Health Canada. Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers (COVID-19): List of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19 https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/covid-19/list.html#wb-auto-5
