The spread of the COVID-19 virus placed cleaning at the center of public and professional attention. Beyond general guidelines such as social distancing and personal hygiene, it became clear that cleaning plays a critical role in preventing infection and protecting public health, especially in shared spaces and workplaces.

Four months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appeared that Israel had succeeded in containing the first wave. However, with the return to routine life, a significant deterioration in infection rates became evident, with daily case numbers reaching the thousands.

The three directives that became the slogan of the period, wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and hygiene, have eroded over time and, according to professional assessments, do not provide a sufficient response to fully halt the spread of the pandemic. In this context, there is a need to refine one of the core directives: no longer general “hygiene,” but rather systematic and intensified cleaning and disinfection in workplaces and public spaces.

The COVID-19 crisis was not only a health event. It was a defining moment that disrupted routines, exposed systemic gaps, and tested the ability of countries, organizations, and businesses to cope with a reality that changes rapidly. Beyond the immediate response to illness, the crisis raised deeper questions about how we manage risk, maintain operational continuity, and treat the everyday infrastructures that enable normal life.