Cleaners called in after popular Sydney salon was labelled an exposure site reveals hotspots are NOT required to get a professional clean – as he details how it takes up to 40 staff to eliminate Covid-19 from a premises
- BAMS Hygiene Management was called in to clean Joh Bailey salon in Sydney
- Owner Brian Zammitt said it is not mandatory for hotspots to deep clean
- Venues only required to call professional cleaners if instructed to by NSW Health
- Salon was shut down with 1,000 people told to isolate after a new outbreak
- Sydney recorded 22 new Covid-19 cases on Friday morning
As famed Sydney salon Joh Bailey slammed its doors shut after becoming an exposure site, Brian Zammitt and his deep cleaning business swooped in to clean up the mess.
BAMS Hygiene Management completed a deep clean of the Double Bay hair salon on Thursday, despite a venue not being required to do so after exposure to Covid-19.
Mr Zammitt said venues are only required to call in professional cleaners if they receive direct contact from NSW Health with instructions to do so.
A BAMS Hygiene Management worker disinfects famed Sydney Hair Salon Joh Bailey as it shuts its door after being labelled an exposure site
‘It depends on the degree of exposure, if it’s a close contact or passing contact who could have infected parts of the building,’ he said.
‘It’s essentially up to the business.’
Some businesses may be exposed to a positive case for days due to an infected employee, or have multiple cases which spread the virus through air ventilation, or simply a single case who visited the venue.
Cleaners prepare to dress head to toe in PPE and hazmat suits with cleaning crews involving up to 40 people
A professional clean can cost an average sized venue up to several thousand dollars and for some businesses, the impact of shutting up shop and leaving it empty may not be worth the cost.
Mr Zammitt revealed the intricate process involved with deep cleaning which at times can require a crew of up to 40 people, dressed head to toe in PPE and hazmat suits.
At the top of the priority list is containing the building’s air-ventilation while a sign is displayed to warn people of exposure risk.
The first crew enter carrying back-packs filled with deep cleaning spray to blast the virus affected area.
Workers enter Joh Bailey Salon carrying back-packs filled with deep cleaning spray to blast the virus affected area
A second crew arrive to hand-wipe any hard surfaces before the third team enters to go through infection control with industrial strength chemicals.
An external microbiology lab is then called in to swab the venue and ensure there’s no remaining trace of the virus.
Once a swab result is returned the lab issues a ‘cleaning clearance certificate’.
Mr Zammitt said businesses can still reopen its doors without receiving the clearance certificate.
‘They can request a clearance certificate after swabbing but it’s up to the clients,’ he said.
Sydney’s latest Covid outbreak has resulted in a business boom for Mr Zammitt who revealed he’d been working since 4.30am and is unsure of when he will head home.
‘I’ve just missed six or seven calls while speaking to you’ he said.
The surge in clients comes as Sydney records 22 new Covid-19 cases on Friday morning. All of the new cases are linked to others except for three including a nine-year-old school student.
Residents in Sydney’s eastern suburbs continue to get tested for Covid-19 at St Vincent’s Hospital pop-up testing clinic at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Friday
The lockdown applies to residents who live or have worked part-time or full-time in the hotspot suburbs in the past two weeks.
They are only allowed outside for work, education, essential shopping, care-giving and exercise in groups of ten or less.
The order will be in place from 11.59pm Friday June 25 until 11.59pm Friday July 3.