Arkansas School Uses Snow Days To Fight The Flu

Trumann Elementary in Trumann, Ark., is taking advantage of now to give cleaning crews time to fight the spread of flu inside the classrooms, according to an article on the ABC8 website.

Principal Michael Allen said school janitors have used the snow days to deep clean elementary classrooms after the elementary school had one rise in flu diagnosis before Christmas and another uptick after Christmas break. Custodial crews worked in the halls and classrooms cleaning beyond their typical duties.

“A little extra cleaning on table tops, all the fixtures, the doors, the water fountains that sort of thing, hopefully, we can come back when we are able to come back from weather and just have a fresh start and hopefully have everyone well,” Allen said in the article.

Buildings where large groups of people gather need to be cleaned especially well during flu season, according to Bill Balek, director of legislative and environmental services for ISSA.

“Those facilities should be looking into stepping up their cleaning regimens,” Balek said.

He recommends increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas. Those areas should be cleaned at least twice a day during cold and flu season.

Both ISSA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer guidelines for cleaning to prevent colds and flu.