ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

In the UK, MPs will will next week begin an inquiry into the role of cleaning and hygiene, and the associated challenges, during the Covid-19 pandemic.The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry will commence the review, entitled ‘Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK', on September 6 with the aim of producing a report with policy recommendations which will feed into the national UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The APPG, which comprises 53 MPs and two Members of the House of Lords, is being supported by the industry body for the entire sector and APPG secretariat, the British Cleaning Council (BCC) and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

The inquiry will examine what was successful and what was not from the national approach to cleaning and hygiene during the pandemic to ensure lessons can be learnt. These will be taken forward to increase disease resilience to current common infections and help inform the UK's response to any similar future public health emergency.

Findings will be detailed in a report published to the public, as well as being shared with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The three sessions will take evidence from public health experts and many industry firms and associations. The report is expected to be followed by a roundtable event within the industry which will consider how to take forward the findings.

The three sessions will hear from:

• September 6: a public health expert in hygiene promotion and a Director of Public Health who has led on the local implementation of public health measures
• September 13: contractors who delivered cleaning services at the time, alongside suppliers and manufacturers of cleaning and hygiene products which were very much in demand during the pandemic
• September 20: owners and landlords of a variety of buildings who had to deliver high standards of cleaning and hygiene during the pandemic, in order to protect the public.