Officials at Nashville International Airport and other public institutions in Tennessee have announced measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus throughout Tennessee.
This, after a 44-year-old Williamson County man tested positive for the coronavirus this week.
According to a Nashville International Airport press release, this man displayed no symptoms of the virus until several days after he traveled elsewhere and came back to Tennessee through that airport.
“BNA continues to implement a 24-hour / 365-day cleaning protocol that complies with CDC guidelines,” according to the airport’s press release.
• Officials at the airport, also known by the initials BNA, have implemented the following measures, according to the press release:
• Restrooms are closed every two hours for cleaning and disinfecting of all touchpoints, using an EPA-approved cleaning agent with designated materials.
• Hand sanitizers (62 percent alcohol) are located outside each restroom and the security checkpoint, and are refilled every two hours.
• Airline gate areas are cleaned after the last flight, as well as routinely throughout the day.
• Ventilation systems are cleaned on a defined schedule.
• Cleaning staff wear disposable medical gloves.
• The airport’s cleaning contractor has implemented a nationwide training program that follows CDC guidelines. The newly developed training guide addresses proper cleaning procedures and identification of travelers with flu-like symptoms.
“It should also be noted that all airlines have established protocols for employee practices, disease identification and cleaning of aircraft after each flight. These programs include an enhanced cleaning process if symptomatic passengers are identified during or immediately after a flight,” according to the airport’s press release.
“BNA remains in frequent contact with officials from the CDC and Metro and State Health Departments. BNA also relies on the expertise of Dr. Corey Slovis, Medical Director and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt. Dr. Slovis was instrumental in the development of BNA’s Communicable Disease Response Plan for Preventing the Introduction, Transmission and Spread of Communicable Diseases into the U.S. The airport Department of Public Safety first-responders are well-equipped to act immediately in medical emergencies. All airport team members have received the CDC prevention guidelines.”
In another press release, officials at the University of Tennessee – Martin said they are suspending, indefinitely, international travel for employees and canceling Maymester international travel courses.
Maymester courses that include a domestic travel component and domestic travel for employees are not currently affected. Maymester is an accelerated academic semester that runs May 11-29, according to the UT-Martin press release.
Officials at the Clarksville-based Austin Peay State University, meanwhile, said they have formed a special task force to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“In early February, university officials developed an initial plan – based on Austin Peay’s response to the 2009 N1H1 outbreak – and the task force is examining what additional precautions the university can take to protect members of the local and campus communities,” according to an Austin Peay State University press release.
“Information regarding the new virus and the University’s response will be regularly updated at www.apsu.edu/coronavirus.”
Recently, university officials distributed more than 120 bottles of hand sanitizer across campus, according to the press release.
Creative Management Technology, the university’s custodial provider, has switched to an accelerated disinfectant cleaner for all its cleaning, and it is also treating floors, cabinets, walls, windowsills and handrails with the product. The company has increased the cleaning of high traffic areas, such as building entrances, elevators, restrooms and stairwells, the press release said.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Nashville International Airport” by Jonathen Cutrer. CC BY 2.0.
