FAQ’s about Green Orchard Group, our methods, our services, and our solutions as it relates to Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Green Orchard Group is an environmental health & safety company based in New York City. We specialize in diagnostic inspections, assessments, and consultancy of environmental concerns, including indoor air quality, mold, lead paint, biohazards, and coronavirus.
Currently, we are operating around the clock to help fight COVID-19 in NY, NJ, and CT by providing local homes and businesses with professional COVID-19 decontamination and disinfection services.
According to the CDC, coronavirus spreads mainly through person-to-person transmission. This can happen from direct contact with an infected person, or through inhalation of aerosolized droplets.
A person infected with coronavirus — even when they don’t exhibit any symptoms — can emit infectious aerosolized particles when they breathe, talk, cough, and sneeze, which can float or drift around in the air for up to three hours. This can be particularly dangerous in closed, indoor spaces where airborne viruses can be further spread by air conditioning systems.
Coronavirus can also be potentially transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. Studies have shown that the virus can survive on various surfaces for hours and days. Possible infection can occur in scenarios where a person touches a contaminated surface then touches their own mouth, nose, or eyes.
High-touch surfaces are defined by the CDC as “surfaces that are handled frequently throughout the day by numerous people.”
These surfaces and objects are much more likely to become contaminated with coronavirus, often through exposure to aerosolized droplets or direct contact with infected people.
Common examples include doorknobs, door handles, phones, intercom systems, keyboards, desks, tables, countertops, stair rails, elevator buttons, toilet handles, sinks, refrigerator handles, microwave buttons, laundry machines, gym equipment, and more.
Symptoms of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) can vary widely from person to person, ranging from mild respiratory discomfort to potentially life-threatening illness. According to the CDC, the three main symptoms of COVID-19 include:
A full list of COVID-19 symptoms can be found here.
These symptoms typically appear within 2 days of infection, although in some cases may take as long as 14 days. Some infected individuals do not exhibit any symptoms at all, although they can still transmit the virus to others around them.
Knowledge is the key to preventing the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19. Information about the virus, as well as public health policies, are updating constantly so we recommend monitoring official health channels such as the CDC.
Implementing proper safety and hygiene practices is a good way to reduce the risk of infection. Best practices include frequent hand washing, wearing face masks, and maintaining social distancing.
Properly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces with EPA-registered chemicals effective against coronavirus (the list is available here) is an effective preventative measure for residential and commercial buildings. Proper disinfection practices include disinfecting common areas, filtering out aerosolized virus particles from the air, and regularly wiping down high-touch surfaces and objects.
Businesses should also put systems in place to encourage face covering, enforce social distancing, limit building capacity, block off common areas, and providing easy access to hand sanitizer and PPE when appropriate.
For residential buildings, property managers are responsible for ensuring that the premises are safe and habitable for tenants in order to meet the implied warranty of habitability, as defined by NYC law.
For commercial buildings and workplaces, employers are responsible for safeguarding personnel from recognized hazards under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.
In most cases, building personnel or janitorial services can maintain a sanitary environment with regular and frequent wipe downs using EPA-registered disinfectants. If you suspect, or have confirmed, that an infected person or persons have been on your site, it’s recommended to have professionals decontaminate any areas of concern. This involves disinfecting surfaces and filtering the air to remove potential pathogens.
If you have had a known or suspected case of COVID-19 on your premises, you should consult a professional disinfection firm to properly decontaminate and sanitize all areas of concern to prevent further exposure.
You may also consider having your space precautionarily disinfected prior to reopening in order to ensure a safe and clean environment for personnel and clientele to return to. After disinfection is complete, we can provide you with a certificate and sticker that can be displayed at entrances to certify that your location has been professionally disinfected.
Decontamination services should be used whenever there is a plausible, possible, or known presence of the coronavirus. This involves a thorough treatment of all air and surfaces in the area of concern.
Disinfection services, which aim to prevent and reduce the risk of contamination, should be used on a weekly to monthly basis. The recommended frequency of treatment depends on several factors:
The cost of professional disinfection and decontamination depends on the size and scope of your concern.
We provide quotes based on your location, type of building, square footage, and type of service required. Pricing levels may also vary for one-time treatments versus recurring services.
Please fill out this short form here and we will provide you with a detailed quote as quickly as possible.
Applying chemical disinfectants to areas of concern as fog or mist is a method used routinely in the medical and food industries, and Green Orchard Group employs a similar method to ensure effective COVID-19 disinfection.
Our process starts the application of industrial-grade, ultra-low volume or electrostatic fogging to apply EPA-approved disinfectants over the entire area of concern, followed by a thorough wipedown of high-touch surfaces.
This protocol follows EPA and CDC guidelines, and provides effective and complete coverage on and around all surfaces in the treated space. We use the safest and most effective virucides that are EPA-approved and CDC-recommended to be effective against the coronavirus and COVID-19, without any side effects or health risks to building occupants after the treatment.
The benefits of our advanced disinfection programs include: