Issue
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new needs, such as maintaining high hygiene standards in spaces open to the public.
Surface contamination of doors, partitions, counters, desks and even lifts by the deposition of pathogens from hands is an important vector of cross-transmission. In the medical sector, up to 40% of infections arise from cross infections from the hands of healthcare personnel*.
To preserve the safety of the population, places open to the public such as offices, hospitals, hotels, schools or cultural venues are obliged to reinforce hygiene and cleaning measures to reduce contamination.
The strategy developed is usually based on manual disinfection methods using cleaning products with harmful chemicals. However, efficacy varies depending on the type of cleaning product used, the cleaning procedure and how well the cleaning is performed. Transmission can also still occur between cleaning cycles, through contact with contaminated surfaces.
*Bacterial contamination of inanimate surfaces and equipment in the intensive care unit, Journal of Intensive care (2015), Vincenzo Russotto, Andrea Cortegiani, Santi Maurizio Raineri and Antonino Giarratano