Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Partnership cleans and disinfects Diamond Princess cruise ship following severe Covid-19 outbreak in 2020

DuPont Personal Protection, RecoveryPro and Belfor Group teamed up to conduct a deep cleaning aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship following an outbreak of Covid-19 among its passengers and crew in February 2020.

The collaboration among the companies, along with protocol guidance established by global health & safety organisations, resulted in an effective clean and disinfect solution enabling the ship to be deemed safe to sail.

When the onboard outbreak surfaced in February 2020, the ship docked in Yokohama, Japan. Due to the severity of the virus, the Japanese government required the Diamond Princess to complete a two-month quarantine for the more than 2,600 passengers and 1,000 crew members on the ship before remediation could be pursued.

Once it was deemed safe to proceed by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Princess Cruises, interim recommendations and protocols developed by the World Health Organisation, the Centers for Disease Control & prevention and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases were used to undertake a heavy-duty surface cleaning. A comprehensive cleaning and disinfection of the ship was needed to remove the threat of infection and to prevent the spread of any future disease. Training and education were key pieces of the cleaning plan.

RecoveryPro led the clean and disinfection project aboard the ship with assistance from its parent company Belfor Group, a global leader in disaster recovery and property restoration. DuPont Tyvek personal protective garments were used to help keep the frontline cleaning crew workers safe.

"We chose DuPont Tyvek because of its comfort, ease of wear, and resistance to abrasions and tears," reveals Guido Gavio, Asia complex loss director, Belfor Asia.

The limited global supply of personal protective equipment, coupled with the need for garments to outfit three crews working 24-hour shifts presented additional challenges that had to be overcome for successful remediation of the vessel. Despite these challenges and an unprecedented global demand for PPE, DuPont immediately responded by providing the proper PPE solutions for daily cleaning and disinfecting operations aboard the Diamond Princess.

Satoshi Banya, managing director for RecoveryPro, says: "I would like to thank DuPont for its extensive support. We see the real value in working with a global leader of PPE, who could make things happen in such difficult times."

David Domnisch, global business director, DuPont, says: "We are proud of our partnership with Belfor Group and RecoveryPro and how we all worked together to help ensure the safety of hundreds of essential workers while addressing this critical clean and disinfect need.

"DuPont is committed to helping with the countless PPE needs for workers on the frontline in the fight against Covid-19 so that they can return home to their families safely."

The Diamond Princess is just one example of the critical need for enhanced cleaning and disinfection in public spaces as we begin to move forward from Covid-19. The pandemic will continue to impact clean and disinfect protocols for cruise lines, schools, hospitals, and extended care facilities globally and it will be crucial to establish best practices for these processes to ensure all measures are taken to protect against future outbreaks.

DuPont continues to offer best practices and guidance to the clean and disinfect workers. Selecting the right garments to address the hazard and learning and following proper donning and doffing procedures are part of the overall efficacy in any clean and disinfect task. With proper training and the right PPE, equipment and cleaning products, these essential workers have the tools they need to complete any clean and disinfect project while preserving their safety and health.

www.dupont.com | https://recoverypro.jp | www.belfor.com

10th June 2021