Cleaning Industry Should Have Prioritized Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

ISSA—The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association submitted comments to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to ensure the entire cleaning supply chain is able to continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic without interruption.

In a December 3, 2020 letter to the advisory committee, ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft states, “Our members are on the front lines of protecting the public health through the manufacturing of cleaning equipment, cleaning products, sanitizers, and disinfectants, and by providing cleaning services that protect schools, day care centers, grocery stores, medical institutions, residential care facilities, multifamily housing units, warehouses, office buildings, and other institutions.”

The letter goes on to state, “It is imperative these essential workers in the cleaning industry have prioritized access to COVID-19 vaccines to help minimize disruptions in the supply chain of manufacturing and distributing cleaning and hygiene-related products that are critical to public health. It is equally as imperative frontline workers tasked with sanitizing, cleaning, and disinfecting are also protected. Our members are working daily to help prevent the further spread of this awful virus.”

Nothdurft also points out that in March the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deemed the cleaning industry as “essential.” (See version 4.0 of CISA’s essential worker guidance) The letter further acknowledges ISSA support for CDC efforts to prioritize access to COVID-19 vaccines with the  understanding that “these are difficult decisions to make.”

ISSA is working diligently to support the full spectrum of the cleaning industry, the U.S. and the world, during the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing a variety of government affairs resources. Please consider supporting the ISSA Advocacy Fund in any amount to help us ensure our businesses and workers can safely continue to fight the transmission of COVID-19. For questions regarding ISSA advocacy, including our recent letter to the CDC, please contact ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft.