Doctors and nurses have been on the frontlines of the pandemic from the beginning. So have the men and women tasked with producing the nation’s food, from agricultural workers to grocery store clerks.
As autumn settles upon us, another group of essential workers is in the spotlight: our nation’s teachers. Back to school is always a time filled with change, but this fall has been unlike any we have ever seen.
As administrators and government officials grapple with the question of when and how children should return to school, there are still many unknowns. Keeping our classrooms as clean and safe as possible should not be one of them. That’s why CIRQ+ has developed CIRQ+CLEAN, a touchless sterilization innovation that can help make the nation’s 3.45 million classrooms safer. The system uses sensors to detect when a classroom is empty and then deploys CBot, an AI autonomous sterilization robot, to electrostatically spray the room with an Environmental Protection Agency-approved solution, cleaning surfaces and killing disease-causing germs.
Doctors and scientists are still studying the novel coronavirus’ threat in schools. While most believe children to be at relatively low risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness, there are still plenty of questions and concerns. “The role of children in the transmission is not yet fully understood,” according to the World Health Organization. Children may have a milder illness with fewer symptoms, which may sometimes go unnoticed and could still lead to the spread of the disease. As it stands, a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that children still accounted for more than 10 percent of all COVID-19 cases. And while children are at lower risk of developing severe symptoms, the same cannot be said for the adult teachers, administrators, bus drivers, custodial workers and others who are essential in the operation of our schools.
In the first months of this new school year, we have already seen districts delay starts, suspend in-person classes, or require new quarantine policies. Regular cleaning of classrooms is one easy way to help mitigate the risk of illness and disruption in our schools. The CIRQ+CLEAN system has the most up-to-date approvals by the EPA for us against the novel coronavirus, as well as other pathogens. The autonomous sterilization robot can effectively spray rooms before school starts, between classes and during recesses without any manual labor on the part of teachers or other staff.
This is just one way CIRQ+ is committed to opening the door to a future of hope and recovery.
Work safe. Stay safe. Live safe.