As the COVID-19 Coronavirus strain grows there has become an increasingly and understandable strain on the travel industry. Since timeshares are shared from consumer to consumer similar to hotels it helps if the guest feel secure in knowing that their room has been cleaned as thoroughly as possible before their stay. 

Analysis by the New England Journal of Medicine and earlier by medRxiv has found that the virus can remain viable in the air for as long as 3 hours, on cardboard up to 24 hours, on both stainless steel and plastic up to 72 hours, and on copper for up to 4 hours. 

Many timeshares are following official guidelines and advice of government and medical authorities to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Among these are (plus maybe a few extra for good measure):

Switch to and use disinfectant products that have been pre-approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use against emerging viral pathogens.

Ongoing training for staff and housekeeping with hygiene safety protocols.

Isolating anyone staying at the timeshare showing symptoms and notifying relevant medical authorities of anyone showing signs of the virus.

Frequent cleaning in public areas with the appropriate cleaners such as an alcohol disinfectant, diluted bleach solutions, soap and water (then a disinfectant) depending on the surface. Areas Including: Keeping the reservation desk, keys, writing tools clean (pens, keyboards, etc.); Employee Areas such as offices, locker rooms, laundry rooms, and entrance doors; Lobbies; Elevators and buttons; Door handles; Public bathrooms; Conference rooms; Furniture; Ice and vending machine; Water fountains.

 Supplying easy access to antibacterial hand sanitizer, hand wipes in high-touch areas such as the lobby.

Cleaning rooms with particular attention paid to high-touch items. Including: Walls (i.e. walls near beds for balance when getting up from the bed); TV remotes; Refrigerators; Coffee machines; Microwaves; Light switches; Toilet flush handles; Shower soap dispensers; Furniture; Trash cans.

Closing any exercise rooms and pool areas temporarily.

Provision of gloves and masks for employees and guests if requested.

Wash all linens at appropriate high temperatures for optimal disinfection, including adding a disinfectant to the laundry. Bedsheets and bed scarfs should be washed more frequently.

Spray curtains with disinfectant.

Be proactive about sharing specifics about your cleaning efforts to the public. Reassure guests that you are using cleaning and disinfecting protocols in your rooms. Let them know that you have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting in public spaces, including contact areas such as the front desk counter, elevators and buttons, public bathrooms, and door handles.

If you have any suggestions that could help our timeshare family in decreasing the spread of this virus we would like to hear it and share it with everyone. Email us.

Best Regards and Keep Well!

From the TSS Staff

References:
WHO – Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/advice-for-workplace-clean-19-03-2020.pdf
CDC – Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
CDC – Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/disinfecting-building-facility.html
The New England Journal of Medicine (updated)
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973
medRxiv
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf