Everyone at Florida Glamping Company is mindful of both COVID-19’s impact and our guest’s real need to escape into nature. The safety and wellbeing of our guests is our top priority, so we are closely monitoring local and state guidance, as well as the WHO and CDC.
COVID-19 has created the need to take additional cleaning and disinfection measures to help prevent its spread and help ensure the safety of our guests and staff. We will adhere to the following standards and guidelines:
Guiding principles
- Use accurate, reputable sources of information including the WHO, the CDC, and local authorities
- Make sure we follow local regulations, where applicable
- Have a proactive plan to manage and minimize the risks associated with COVID-19 and similar events, such as a prevention of spread of infection plan
- Implement an enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of the property between stays
- Communicate to guests on measures implemented, both pre-stay and during stay
- Encourage guests to self-monitor for symptoms, follow advice from local authorities, and to seek medical assistance where possible/available
- Guests should cancel or reschedule upcoming bookings if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have reason to believe you’ve been exposed to COVID-19
- Limit guests traveling from cities with populations greater than one million located in an area with substantial community spread as designated in Florida’s Executive Order 2020-82 and Executive Order 2020-86
- Use contactless check-in and check-out
- Minimize non-essential interactions at property
Support for guests
- Support good hand hygiene for guests and anyone involved with the property by providing sufficient hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap products at key areas, and also encouraging hand washing regularly with water and soap for at least 20 seconds
- Implement social distancing policies during check-in and check-out, and during any interactions with guests, staff, local community. When possible, encourage minimizing these interactions
- Recommend removing shoes when entering the property and leaving them at the entrance
- Inform guests on how they can contribute in prevention, and actions to take if they identify symptoms (refer to WHO, CDC or local government resources)
- Provide cleaning and disinfecting products for guests to use, along with instructions
Cleaning and disinfection
Equipment
Cleaning tools and personal protective equipment (PPE):
- Cleaning equipment should be cleaned and disinfected before and after use to minimize the risk of contamination
- Cleaning products, personal protective equipment (PPE) and tools should be in good condition and supplied appropriately for the size and usage of the property
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) typically includes disposable single-use gloves, masks and shoe covers, as well as reusable eye protection
- Any single-use equipment should be disposed of safely after use
- Cleaning equipment typically includes brushes, sponges, microfiber rags, and mops with replaceable heads
- All equipment should be fit for purpose, and approved or recommended by the local authorities
Cleaners and training
The considerations below apply to anyone cleaning or maintaining the property:
- Should be trained on how to use and care for and properly dispose of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Should be trained on properly using cleaning, disinfecting, and chemical products (e.g. germicides) and on safe waste disposal
- Should always use fit-for-purpose PPE during the cleaning process
- Single-use PPE should be safely disposed of to minimize risk of contamination
- Should avoid touching their face during the cleaning process, as well as any unnecessary contact with surfaces, including personal belongings
- Should implement enhanced hand hygiene (washing both hands and forearms for at least twenty seconds) before and after removing gloves
Cleaning and disinfection process
General principles
- Cleaning and disinfecting are two different steps in the overall process, and both are required to lower the risk of contamination. The CDC defines these as follows:
- Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects, by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
- Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.
- Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on surfaces or objects. This process works by either cleaning or disinfecting surfaces or objects to lower the risk of spreading infection.
- Prevent cross contamination by using specific equipment by area (room, bathroom, kitchen)
- Plan the process to start with lowest risk areas (bedroom, living room) to highest risk areas (kitchen, bathroom)
- Define a cleaning checklist to help ensure completion and keep records (these can be useful in case of guest complaints)
- Ventilate the property during and after the process
Cleaning process
- Clean with water and suitable detergent (WHO/CDC)
- Use a detergent or soap and water, and leave to act for enough time, usually 3 to 5 minutes (WHO/CDC)
- Rinse, dry, and wipe to remove all products
- Clean and disinfect all cleaning equipment
Disinfection process
- Disinfect using the appropriate chemical per area. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective for disinfection. A list of products that are EPA-approved for use against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is available here. Additional resources are also available on the WHO and the CDC websites.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products utilized (concentration, application method and contact time, etc.). Additionally, diluted household bleach solutions (at least 1000ppm sodium hypochlorite) can be used if appropriate for the surface.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application, ensuring a contact time of at least 1 minute, and allowing proper ventilation during and after application. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
Prioritize high-touch surfaces such as
- Door handles
- Controls and switches (e.g. light switches, cooking controls, television controls, fan pull chains)
- Bathroom taps, toilet flush handles, toilet seats
- Utensils, cutlery and crockery
- Furniture such as chairs, tables, and parts of the bed frames
- Children facilities such as bunk beds, toys, or play equipment (if not removed from property)
- Linen, including those that appear unused
- Refuse, recycling bins, and any waste disposal containers
- Cleaning equipment
- Guest information, brochures, menus
Linen management
- Minimize handling of used linen to minimize risk of contamination, particularly shaking it
- Wash linen at highest temperature, and dry completely before storing
- Clean linen should be stored and handled separately from used linen (and changed between stays)
- Any other solid/bulk waste should be handled separately, and first
Timeframes
Based on the recent information available, here are some time considerations to help minimize the likelihood of infection:
- Use standard check-in and check-out times, and avoid early arrivals or late departures to minimize the possibility of disrupting the enhanced cleaning process
- If any guest is exposed to COVID-19, we will wait 24 hours before entering the property to minimize chance of exposure to staff. If there is an emergency to attend to on the property we will wait for a minimum of 3 hours
- Note: while time between stays could help minimize likelihood of contamination, it does not replace enhanced cleaning processes
Summary of Cleaning Protocol for each Guest Stay
Prepare
Gather supplies to have the correct tools on hand and use specific items for each step in the process. Some items to have on hand include:
- Disposable gloves
- Mask or face covering
- Multi-surface disinfectant
Clean
Cleaning removes germs and dirt from surfaces. For example, using a soapy cloth to wipe off a kitchen counter or stovetop. It’s important to complete this step before sanitizing the space. During the cleaning stage, we must:
- Dust, sweep, or vacuum all floors
- Clean or mop hard surfaces with water and soap
- Wash all dishes and laundry
- Empty all garbage cans and line with fresh bags
Sanitize
Sanitizing is when we use chemicals to reduce the number of bacteria. During this stage, we sanitize all high-touch surfaces. For example, spraying chemical disinfectant on doorknobs, light switches, and cabinets. During the sanitize stage, we must:
- Spray high-touch surfaces in all spaces with a disinfectant spray
- Let the disinfectant stand for the length of time required by the product label
- Allow the surfaces to air-dry
Check
After cleaning and sanitizing, we will review and ensure that all appropriate areas have been cleaned and sanitized.
Reset
To help prevent cross-contamination, it’s important to finish cleaning and sanitizing a room before resetting it for the next guests. During the reset stage we must:
- Wash hands and put on clean gloves before refilling any guest supplies, towels, or linens
- When finished sanitizing and resetting a room, close the door and disinfect the doorknob. Once sanitized, do not re-enter the space
- Safely dispose of or wash cleaning supplies and protective gear