Return to Work Update
Posted June 18, 2020
June 18, 2020
Friends and Colleagues – In today’s message, I’m returning to the unanswered questions from the Chancellor’s Q&A.
Office Cleaning: A question was asked about not cleaning offices until the pandemic is over. Unfortunately, that’s not an option. However, we have looked athow we clean offices. Some may recall the time, when responding to a budget cut, that we cut back on cleaning and asked everyone to take their trash to the hallway. It took about six months to recover from the cockroach problems that resulted from those who didn’t take their trash out. The result was stinky, infested trash. Likewise, we can’t go for several months without cleaning the floors. Finally, you may have noticed that the BSWs are wearing face coverings and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces such as door knobs, so they are taking extra precautions for their health and yours.
Restroom Restrictions: Various questions were asked about restroom occupancy. The solution here is wearing face coverings and washing hands for 20 seconds. The Illinois Plumbing Code requires a certain amount of fixtures based on the building size and doesn’t allow me to take sinks and toilets “off line.” Remember that in the ladies’ restrooms, the stalls have partitions so there is a separation. In the men’s, the solution is carefully choosing your socially distant urinal. Even choosing sinks carefully can keep you six feet apart. The momentary risk then becomes when walking in and out – no different than a dozen other scenarios in our daily lives. One suggestion was to prop open restroom doors, which we can do in cases where the door isn’t used to create a visual or sound barrier. That will at least reduce the number of handles that one has to touch. In most cases the trash can is already near the door, so using a paper towel to touch the handle is good advice.
I’ll have more answers to questions later in the week.
Thank you for all you do. Keep supporting one another and stay well.
Rich Walker
Vice Chancellor for Administration
