The general guidelines outlined in the General Principles of Food Hygiene for food processing and manufacture premises should be followed. If a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 is identified in a food premises then there is a requirement to completely clean the area with a neutral detergent, followed by decontamination of surfaces using a disinfectant effective against viruses. All surfaces that the infected employee has come into contact with must be cleaned, including all surfaces and objects which are visibly contaminated with body fluids/respiratory secretions, and all potentially contaminated high-contact areas such as toilets, door handles, telephones. Alcohol based sanitizers/surface disinfectants should be used for disinfection purposes. In general, alcohol-based disinfectants (ethanol, propan-2-ol, propan-1-ol) have been shown to significantly reduce infectivity of enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2, in concentrations of 70-80% with one-minute exposure time. Chlorine-based disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite) are effective for surface decontamination, as are disinfectants with active ingredients based on quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATS).
All staff should wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds after any contact with someone who is unwell with symptoms consistent with coronavirus infection. Staff engaged in environmental cleaning should wear PPE when performing cleaning and disinfection activities, such as overalls or uniform, single-use plastic apron, gloves and a face mask. Protective clothing (e.g. uniforms, overalls, etc.) should be frequently washed at 60°C or above.