Top 5 Reasons Why PPE Kits is Important For School going Children

by Martin Peels Content Writer

Schools have an important role in slowing the spread of the virus to help ensure children have safe and healthy learning environments and don’t contract any virus. Since the virus causing COVID-19 is still in circulation affecting many daily, engaging in learning that is face-to-face requires thoughtful planning and important considerations to be taken note to utilize quality PPE kits for schools and children to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, in particular with the right infection control material that safely provides care.

While schools are not identified as “health care settings” some basic precautions are needed as there is a risk of infection due to contact with students and staff members. PPE kit is one such safety essential that will minimize the risk of the body’s contact with viruses by covering and protecting it with a layer that limits the exposure. Not just frontline warriors and support staff need to use PPE kits but people traveling from flights, teachers teaching in schools, and children for an added protection.

School sites are unique workplaces as exposure can occur quite frequently when teaching children in a face-to-face setting. However, a range of protective measures must be employed to reduce the risk of transmission of the infection. Wearing of face covering and gloves can be seen as a system of controls when implemented in an environment where social distancing can take a back seat creates an inherently safer system in which the transmission of infection is substantially reduced.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Schools Should Leverage The Use of PPE KITS for Children

Prevents Direct Transmission of COVID-19

In busy settings, there can be the direct and indirect transmission. Direct transmission mainly occurs when infected persons' respiratory droplets generated during coughing sneezing or breathing enter the respiratory tract of other people coming in close contact with them. So PPE kits reduce the risks of coming in contact with the virus directly.

Prevents Indirect Transmission

People can also get infected indirectly. This usually happens when droplets get onto surfaces and contaminate them from splashes or sprays, which then are touched and introduced into the mouth or eyes of the uninfected person. The use of PPE kits is extremely important which should be used properly with other injection control practices such as frequently washing of hands, making use of hand-sanitizers, making use of masks, covering the face while coughing or sneezing as it minimizes the spread of infection from one person to another.

Creates a Protective Barrier

Staff or children are strongly recommended to wear face-covering and masks when receiving direct close contact services. It is important to check the covering, for instance, many people are using cotton masks that are not medical standard masks that are intended to protect the wearer. The same case is with surgical face masks that are used for different purposes than the N95 mask. Masks create a barrier between the mouth and nose of the wearer while protecting them from potential contaminants that can be present in the immediate environment.

Only using a mask is insufficient to provide complete protection in schools for staff and children and should be combined with other measures and PPE kits depending on the context.

PPE Should be Leveraged Keeping Well Being of the Organization in Mind

Teachers and staff providing support services must be equipped with personal protective kits and also encourage the students to do so. There should be training programs to implement the same across all the departments. Here are some of the important things regarding hand hygiene to keep in mind:

1. Clean hands using soap or hand-sanitizer having at least 60% alcohol.

2. Before and after working with a student. In the case of children after working with a teacher or staff.

3. Wash or sanitize your hands immediately after removing gloves, touching objects, before eating, and after sneezing or coughing.

Wear PPE, Where and Whenever Necessary

If a distance of 2 meters can not be maintained from others, most staff in education or child care require PPE for work with appropriate knowledge about using disposable PPE. Schools should give priority to respiratory protection at least as well as discourage the reuse of disposable PPE due to the high likelihood of contamination.