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Janitors Gear Up, Spread Out In Fight Against Coronavirus

Janitors are on the front lines of the pandemic, cleaning and disinfecting offices that are still open for business during Ohio鈥檚 stay-at-home order. [Andrey_Popov / Shutterstock]
Janitors are on the front lines of the pandemic, cleaning and disinfecting offices that are still open for business during Ohio鈥檚 stay-at-home order.

Earlier this year, as health officials began tallying coronavirus cases across the United States, Janitorial Services Inc. in Cleveland was stocking up on hospital-grade disinfectant.

鈥淚 bought about a year鈥檚 worth in a month and a half,鈥 owner Ronald Martinez told ideastream. 鈥淎nd believe it or not, we鈥檙e probably down to 20 percent of what I bought, because we鈥檝e been putting it out in the buildings, even though it鈥檚 not part of their normal daily disinfecting.鈥

Janitors are on the front lines of the pandemic, cleaning and disinfecting offices that are still open for business during Ohio鈥檚 stay-at-home order. While the basics of the job remain the same, cleaners are taking new precautions to protect themselves and their workplaces.

JSI has ordered masks and more Tyvek full-body suits, Martinez said. The company also keeps thermometers on site to take employees鈥 temperatures. Workers with fevers are supposed to stay home and take a sick day.

Janitors in the company鈥檚 medical cleaning division wear suits when cleaning areas exposed to someone who may have COVID-19, Martinez said.

鈥淚n that instance, that area is isolated,鈥 JSI general manager Doug Burston said. 鈥淲e come in, do a disinfecting wipe-down first.鈥

Next, janitors spray down the area using a Clorox Total 360 atomized bleach machine, Burston said.

Cleaning work has picked up at the ArcelorMittal steel mill, according to janitor Rodney Shelton. Like many manufacturers, the company is exempt from the state鈥檚 closure orders.

鈥淲e work regularly Monday through Friday, second shift,鈥 Shelton said. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e able to come in on Saturday and Sunday. It鈥檚 not mandatory, but most people are coming in to pick up extra hours, get a few hours overtime.鈥

Shelton typically rode to his assignments around the steel mill鈥檚 massive campus in shuttle vans packed with as many as 10 to 12 colleagues, he said. Now, no more than five people are allowed in a van at a time.

At the beginning and end of each shift, janitors disinfect 鈥渢ouch points鈥 like doorknobs and lights鈥攕pots that could be vectors for the spread of the virus. To keep themselves and their colleagues safe, janitors have added face masks to their uniforms.

鈥淚t seems like normal, other than when you get outside, or when you鈥檙e moving around through your area, and you see people with masks on,鈥 Shelton said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the only thing that鈥檚 different, that looks weird.鈥

Nick Castele was a senior reporter covering politics and government for 海角破解版. He worked as a reporter for Ideastream from 2012-2022.