via Health Affairs: Custodial Staff Protect Us From The Novel Coronavirus, But Who Is Protecting Them?
Who is protecting the custodial staff who are working in public offices, businesses (such as hotels), and in private homes? Now, more than ever, it is clear that the right to collectively bargain for worker protections is needed by all workers, including essential and vulnerable employees such as custodial staff and other domestic workers.
-Deb
In recent weeks hospitals and medical institutions across the country have enacted policies to protect medical students and medical personnel from COVID-19. These policies have ranged from restrictions for medical students seeing patients on the wards to switching from in-person classes to online coursework.
Harvard College, was one of the first universities to require students to evacuate their on-campus housing. Shortly after Harvard Medical School issued a similar request. Students quickly packed their belongings and purchased flights back home— I was one them. While some of us have viewed these policies as unjust or inconvenient, we followed them in an effort to preserve the public health of our society. However, many of these policies have been selective in who they protect most. As college campuses close and hospital wards become more restrictive, one group of people will have to come into work regardless of the severity of coronavirus spread: custodial staff.
At institutions across the country custodial staff are considered essential personnel, meaning that in the event of a snowstorm or an impending pandemic, they are still expected to come to work. I was surprised to learn this after speaking with a custodial staff member at Harvard. I listened intently as we discussed their fears surrounding the coronavirus and their sense of unpreparedness on how to protect themselves. This troubled me because like many students, the custodial staff at my institution have become like family to me, but right now I fear their health could be in jeopardy.