Custodial services is conducting cleaning of public areas in accordance with CDC recommendations. These areas include counters, tabletops, door handles, kitchen surfaces, bathroom fixtures, push plates, light switch panels, railing and similar frequently touched surfaces in public areas.

Surfaces in spaces such as research laboratories, offices, student living areas, and similar types of spaces, which are not typically cleaned by custodial services are excluded. Some areas of grounds, specific to the operation, clean to the standard of their department or unit’s operational needs.

Use disinfectants recommended by CDC against SARS-CoV-2 in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. See the EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the Cause of COVID-19 as well as the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Center for Biocide Chemistries (CBC) for a list of products that have been pre-approved by the EPA for use against emerging enveloped viral pathogens.

CDC recommends disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (e.g. keyboards, desks, remote controls) can be wiped down by students, staff, and faculty before each use.

Be considerate of potential chemical incompatibilities and sensitivities of personnel when employing local disinfection techniques.

Contact EHS if you have any questions regarding appropriate disinfectants.

Departments and laboratories are responsible for acquisition of their own supplies. Because of the limited supply of hand sanitizer, it is recommended that you wash your hands at a sink with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, whenever possible.

Access to the affected area will be temporarily restricted and the University will send a special cleaning crew as needed.

To assist those crews, please keep laboratory work surfaces (i.e. benches, sinks) and floors organized and clear of unnecessary material. As always, ensure that hazardous materials are appropriately labeled, and store/secure hazardous materials promptly after use. Identify sensitive instrumentation that cleaning staff should avoid.

Please refer to the CDC’s COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment section to see recommendations for using a facemask.

No, EHS does not be provide respirators or other personal protective equipment. Check with your supervisor about any PPE-related needs.

• Consider other vendors/suppliers. Laboratories may need to consider ordering outside of Marketplace.
• Eye Protection:
  • Use reusable safety glasses or goggles that can be sanitized and disinfected in place of disposable items.
  • Use reusable solid chin-length face-shield to protect your eyes, nose and mouth, in place of a disposable face shield and surgical mask.
• Disposable Facemasks and N95 Respirators:
  • For areas that use disposal N95 respirators, consider the use of Powered-Air-Purifying Respirators or reusable half-face respirators, each with the relevant protective cartridges, in place of disposable respirators.
  • Refer to CDC’s most up-to-date guidance on optimizing supplies of facemask and N95 Respirators here.
• Gloves:
  • Consider different types of gloves, such as Latex (if no sensitivities/allergies) or Vinyl (if compatible with chemical usage).
  • Try different sizes if it does not compromise the ability to work and handle experiments safely.
  • Try ways to extend glove usage without compromising glove integrity, such as spraying gloves with disinfectant (if compatible). Do not reuse disposable gloves.
  • Increase hand washing frequency, thoroughness, and length of time.

Research as of 19 March 2020 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can survive up to 72 hours on surfaces, but in most instances, the risk of infection resulting from contact with a contaminated surface is unlikely after a few days. Please refer to this report from Johns Hopkins for more details:

https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/20/sars-cov-2-survive-on-surfaces/

Per CDC Biosafety guidance, any activities with human samples from suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients must be performed in BSL2 containment with all manipulations of samples being handled inside a Biosafety Cabinet. Any activities related to SARS-CoV-2 virus isolation or propagative procedures must be performed in BSL3 containment. These activities would require IAR modifications and appropriate IRB approval for patient sample collections.

If you are considering research involving specimens from CoVID-19 patients or with CoV-2 virus please contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee Coordinator, Paul Skoglund at ps5d@virginia.edu, who will provide guidance on how to proceed with this type of research.