Level 4 started at midnight on the 25th of March and 30 minutes later, Sheril and her husband were off to work. This has been the life of many cleaning staff who have been supporting our essential services during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Places like health clinics, pharmacies and supermarkets keep us all fed and healthy. But spare a thought for the people who keep them healthy. Behind every business that has stayed open, there is a cleaning team making sure that the people and their output is free from COVID-19.

Sheril and Gurpinder Singh, Clean Planet franchisees in Hamilton said to us: “We are all in this together, I believe it’s true, we all have a part to play. Some, by simply staying home and not being carriers, while others work where required. Working alongside essential services, we definitely feel important and it feels good to still be able to provide for the family. We may not be the superheroes in the frontline like our healthcare workers, more like the sidekicks that every superhero needs. A lot has changed for us during this pandemic, to begin with, we’ve lost almost 80% of our clients, as they have been out of

their offices and working from home. Sometimes we feel it would be better to be at home as well, less likely to bring the virus into our bubble that way. To overcome the risk, we go in prepared with our PPE and follow all hygiene protocols. We are responsible for the health of everyone in our bubble including our little human too.”

“The novel coronavirus has created unique challenges for different industries” said Raman Maan, Regional Manager at Clean Planet. “We have had to adapt to everything from changes in our client’s operating hours to the unprecedented demand for sanitising and disinfection products.”

Commercial cleaning companies which were clarified to be ‘suppliers to essential services’ continued working during the lockdown. The major challenges faced by cleaners over the lockdown has been personal safety. “We moved quickly to supply enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) to all our cleaners, drastically lowering their chance of contracting COVID-19 while working on the front lines” said Abhi Lal, National Operations Manager at Clean Planet.

As a significant supplier in New Zealand’s Cleaning Industry, Clean Planet tightened up already rigorous cleaning methodology and supervision. Specialist disinfection products needed to be sourced and supplied, gloves require changing between serviced areas, and uniforms need to be hot washed after every clean. Clean Planet also supplied their franchisees with hand sanitiser to be used between each site visited and on site as required. A supply of facemasks was secured should the cleaners or clients prefer their use too. The outcome is continued health and security for customers.

Even with all these measures in place risks of exposure to the virus is real, in many instances the job involves getting close to the virus at sites where testing is being undertaken, and as such there will always be some risk of infection and transmission. “All our staff and franchisees are following social distancing measures. We’ve also made sure that none of our workers have travelled overseas within the two weeks before the lockdown started” added Abhi Lal. This is the sacrifice that cleaning crews are making, working in the industry, at this time in history.

Tony Pattison, CEO of Clean Planet believes that the future for New Zealand is a bright one. “The data suggests that we are well on the path to minimising COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. Our cleaners play a large part in making sure that the return to the office for Kiwi workers is a safe and comfortable one. I expect that the demand for our services will grow in the coming months and I’m very proud of our cleaning franchisees for their contribution to New Zealander’s health at this unprecedented time.”

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