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In its ongoing effort to provide facility cleaners and disaster restoration professionals with the latest research related to COVID-19 and protection of the built environment, the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) announced it will host “COVID-19: The Second Wave,” a three-part webinar series beginning Thursday, Nov. 12. 

CIRI will host one-hour webinar events each month through January 2021. Each will address new and emerging science related to the transmission of COVID-19 and how that translates into best practices for cleaning professionals. Presentations will last approximately 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of question and answer.

“An incredible amount of research into SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 has been completed and is ongoing since the start of the pandemic,” said John Downey, CIRI Executive Director. “It’s vital that cleaning and restoration professionals learn ways to apply the research in practical ways to guide best practices.” 

Each webinar will target areas of transmission, look closely at the current research, and discuss cleaning and related strategies to mitigate risk. Cleaning for health, CIRI’s focus since it was established more than 15 years ago, has never been so real or so important as it is today.

The schedule for CIRI’s 2020-21 “COVID-19: The Second Wave” webinar series is as follows: 

1. “Surface Hygiene and the Second Wave," presented by Dr. Greg Whiteley, chairman, Whiteley Corporation; Adjunct Fellow, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University. This webinar will take place on Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. EST.

2. “Available Methods to Validate Strategies to Minimize Transmission of COVID-19," presented by Dr. Richard Shaughnessy, director of the Indoor Air Quality Research Program at the University of Tulsa. This webinar is scheduled for Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. EST. 

3. "Viral Transmission in the Indoor Environment and the Impact of Cleaning," presented by Dr. Karen Dannemiller, assistant professor, College of Engineering, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University. This webinar is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2021 at 3 p.m. EST.

Video recordings will be available for those who register but are unable to attend the webinars live. Continuing education credits are available for each webinar and attendees will receive a certificate of attendance. 

In March, CIRI hosted “COVID-19 and Pandemic Preparedness: Science-Based Solutions for Service Providers,” a full-day virtual symposium attended by more than 1,000 cleaning and restoration professionals. To learn more about this event and sign up to watch the video recordings, click here.