Sanitising team at work in the CBD

THE Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) is deep-cleaning all commonly touched infrastructure in public spaces to minimise the risk of citizens contracting Covid-19 and other infections.

This includes pedestrian buttons, railings, benches, bollard tops, the top part of electrical boxes and the lids of green street-pole refuse bins.

A four-man team of sanitising ambassadors, part of the CCID’s urban management department, were tasked with undertaking the initiative on Tuesday.

“With this team, we aim to minimise any health and safety risks for members of the public in the CBD, especially now as we confront the threat of Covid-19,” said Kally Benito, CCID assistant manager for urban management.

“We’re very excited about this project and are confident it will make a big difference in the city centre.”

CCID chief executive Tasso Evangelinos said: “These types of innovative measures prove that the Cape Town CBD is open for business, and they go a long way in restoring the confidence of businesses, residents, visitors and people who work in the CBD.”

The four ambassadors are Wylan Scholtz, Blake Bester, Lucky Mangezi and Peter Kaira, who hit the ground running on Tuesday, sanitising infrastructure in Greenmarket Square and St George’s Mall.

For the next three months, they will be on the streets daily, armed with backpack pressure-sprayers and squirt bottles.

Benito said the team was using sanitiser with an alcohol content of more than 70% from an accredited supplier.

“Our focus is on the health and safety of the public and we believe that prevention is crucial in protecting the health of the public. Commonly touched surfaces are more likely sources of infection. The cleaning will be continuous as the next time a person touches a surface it can be recontaminated,” she said. |