With the Covid-19 pandemic still in the country, the service of the linen and blanket in trains has again been withdrawn in India. This decision is a disappointment for the Railway BOOT laundry operators. Especially, since passenger surveys have proven that travellers want berth linen, and scientific research has definitely proven that linen does not spread the coronavirus. Various laundry service providers have presented their opinions on how to proceed their operations in the future.
In their opinion the laundry process itself doesn’t have to change, but a validated washing program against microorganisms with professional chemicals should be used. Automated chemical dosing is a must to achieve consistent results”. Other measures suggested were regular disinfection of containers, wearing of gloves, masks and protective eyewear, soluble laundry bags and no overlap of workflow between soiled and clean linen areas. Laundry should also be disinfected daily and well-ventilated. Closed loop air circulation should be avoided where possible.
Because of the new focus on hygiene and sanitisation, railway BOOT laundry operators are faced with considerable cost increases and rates will need to go up. They feel that the Railways needs to understand their problems, examine their new processes and reconsider agreements accordingly.