Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities and COVID-19

The university continues to employ a consistent, thorough, and deliberate cleaning process. This process includes innovation and technology to minimize high-touch points across campus sites in combination with frequent cleaning of the remaining high-touch point surfaces. Virginia Tech will continue to manage the cleaning of indoor spaces through a combination of frequent and thorough cleaning and access control, including when rooms and buildings are not occupied.

As part of Facilities Operations' standard operating procedures and practices, all common touch surfaces will continue to be cleaned and disinfected using EPA-registered chemicals. Surfaces are wiped and left wet for effective dwell time. 

• Restrooms/showers: Common touch surfaces (such as knobs, handles, dispensers, push plates, switches, and receptacles) are cleaned and disinfected multiple times per day using EPA-registered chemicals. 
• Public spaces: Common touch surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected multiple times per day using EPA registered chemicals.
• Floors/tiles: Public areas are spot mopped daily; fully mopped weekly (with auto-scrub as needed); buffed monthly, top scrubbed, stripped, and recoated annually.
• Floors/carpet: Public areas are spot vacuumed daily; fully vacuumed weekly; extracted annually, and interim cleaned as necessary.
• Kitchens: Common touch surfaces are disinfected daily with EPA -registered chemicals.

Yes. High-touch items, high-volume spaces, and public areas will continue to receive priority. After these prioritized areas are addressed, individual private offices and workstations will continue to obtain frequency-based services. 

As such, care for these spaces (private offices and workstations) will be shared with the user(s). Facilities Operations will continue routine floor maintenance and will certainly respond and address emergency issues as in the past. Prioritization of resources and spaces will enable our team to provide the safest environment possible. 

To request housekeeping services, please submit through the Ready Request portal (Virginia Tech PID required). For specific questions or requests requiring immediate assistance, please contact 540-231-4300. After hours, please call 540-382-4343.

The same stringent cleaning and disinfecting standards remain applicable to all university-owned and leased buildings across the commonwealth. The main variable is who delivers these types of services. Some non-Blacksburg locations have contracted service providers responsible for these types of functions. The university remains in continuous coordination with those entities to assure consistent and effective protocols.

For specific questions around leased spaces, please call the Office of Real Estate Management at 540-231-8430 or email vtrealestate-g@vt.edu.

• Cleaning is defined as using soap and water to remove dirt and impurities.
  
• Disinfecting is defined as killing germs on a surface.
• Routine cleaning is defined as our standard cleaning and disinfecting process.
• Enhanced cleaning is defined as disinfecting high-touch surfaces.

Yes. To mitigate the potential for contamination of high touch points, over 1,400 hand sanitizer dispensers were positioned at building entrances, exits, elevators, and classrooms.

Over 800 new touch-free soap dispensers in building restrooms have been installed over the past year-and-a-half, as well as 700 new touch-free paper towel dispensers in building restrooms.

Departments should obtain supplies through their normal purchasing channels. Questions can be directed to procurement@vt.edu.

Routine cleaning of unrestricted labs will be performed on a weekly basis.

Recommended building user actions to help ensure aggregate health and safety:

• Comply with all signage guidelines, including wearing a mask if not vaccinated or fully vaccinated.
• Practice good hygiene (handwashing and cleanliness within your work setting) and always stay home when ill.
• Remove and/or clean high-touch shared tools such as break area equipment, computer keyboards, whiteboard markers, remote controls, etc.
• Utilize larger, central office waste receptacles for food waste and wet trash to control odors.
• Assist in controlling building entry points as appropriate based on unit needs.

The Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities will continue to:

• Inspect areas around buildings for trash and debris and remove accordingly.
• Ensure all building entrances and loading docks are clear of litter and debris.
• Mow green spaces.
• Inspect parking lots and clear of litter and debris.
• Maintain shrubs and flowers.
• Continue tree management and care.
• Ensure effective waste and recycling collection.

The latest information on Virginia Tech's HVAC and ventilation efforts ca be found at https://ready.vt.edu/HVAC.html.

Please direct COVID-related health and safety issues associated with the operation of HVAC systems to ventilation@vt.edu.

Read more about air quality efforts on campus: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/11/campusplanning-HVAC.html

Click here to learn more about cleaning procedures in student spaces and other helpful information.

The Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities deploys cleaning and disinfecting practices in accordance with CDC, ISSA (the cleaning industry’s global professional organization), and Virginia Tech Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) guidelines. Nightly, classrooms and lecture areas are cleaned and disinfected using EPA-registered chemicals. Surfaces are wiped and left wet for effective dwell time.  Electrostatic sprayers and misting machines may be used to improve productivity and coverage.

Waste and recycling collection will continue uninterrupted; however, individual collection times and locations may be modified. To request assistance with waste/recycling, use the Ready Request portal (Virginia Tech PID required). Please contact 540-231-4300 or vtrepair@vt.edu with specific questions or immediate concerns.

Departments are encouraged to make these decisions based on their unique needs.

Yes. Teams from the division and Virginia Tech Procurement continue to work with contracting teams to ensure the utmost safety and well-being of campus worksites and on-site employees.