Heartwarming: Hospital Workers Pause To Clap in Appreciation for the Cleaning Crew at the Hospital
Those of us who don’t perform “essential” jobs that require us to still be out in public right now can’t fully understand the feeling the essential workers have as they head to work, knowing that today might be the day they expose themselves to COVID-19.
Grocery store employees have become heroes of the times, as well as doctors and nurses, and all for good reason — they’re putting themselves and their health in jeopardy to provide necessary services so the rest of us have a better chance of surviving.
Many have shown their gratitude through social media posts, setting special times to applaud for healthcare workers and even writing their thanks in places medical staff will see them.
But there’s another unsung hero in all this madness: The cleaning staff. Doctors and nurses may help patients directly, but there would be far more problems if there were no cleaning crews to sanitize everything.
The medical staff at Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona, Spain, recognized the hard work put in by their cleaning staff by applauding them as they rolled into the hospital for work.
The video was shared on the hospital’s Twitter account, and has since been shared and watched thousands of times.
“ROUND OF APPLAUSE: Healthcare professionals in Spain took a moment to show appreciation for the cleaning crew in the hospital who are working tirelessly to keep the facility safe for patients and staff,” KSAZ-TV captioned its share of the video on Facebook.
Avui volem donar les gràcies al personal de neteja, de seguretat, cuina, infraestructures, és a dir a tots els professionals no assistencials que continuen exercint les seves tasques en unes circumstàncies excepcionals a causa del #COVID19
Un aplaudiment molt merescut ? pic.twitter.com/pPjd1EQrYc— Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona CAT (@SJDbarcelona_ca) March 27, 2020
“My dad is a hospital floor tech, he has never been busier,” one person commented on the KSAZ-TV video. “May God keep them all safe.”
“I clean for a hospital also,” wrote another. “There are times we do get appreciate for the hard work in sanitized and cleaning the rooms.”
“I used to be a Housekeeper for many years & it’s not an easy job,” wrote a third. “Dealing with some disgusting things & this virus is dangerous. Housekeepers are very important individuals. Thank you & be safe.”
While things like washing hands and keeping high-traffic areas clean has always been important, it’s even more so now with the virus spreading like wildfire.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released recommendations for cleaning, posting guidelines and instructions on its website for medical, commercial and home environments. The biggest and simplest preventative measure that has been stated time and again is proper hand-washing.
“Perform hand hygiene frequently,” the webpage for homes and residential communities states. “Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60 to 95% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.”
Another one we’ve been cautioned about repeatedly is to “avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.”
The page also suggests that good airflow be maintained in common areas, and that all “high-touch” areas be cleaned daily with an appropriate cleaner.
All of these precautions are good practices anyway, but they’re even more important to observe now. More details are available on the CDC’s website.
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