One of the last remaining remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic is being removed from classrooms for the fall.

Disinfectant wipes are being taken out of the classroom now that the global health emergency is officially over, says Joe Raab, director, Environment, Health and Safety. The dispensers were first added to campus classrooms when UB began returning to in-person classes so students and faculty could wipe down their immediate work areas.

But now is a good time to get rid of them, Raab says. Their low volume of use doesn’t justify their need in the classroom, says Jeffrey Angiel, director, Facilities Operations.

“In recent months, we have noticed that the use of these wipes is far less frequent and many times the top wipes in the dispensers have dried out,” Raab says. “Logistically, there is a fair amount of work involved in trying to keep the dispensers full and ready for use.”

Students or faculty are still welcome to bring in their own disinfectant wipes, but they should be a commercially available brand and not a spray or a mist, Raab says. The disinfectant wipes can be used to swab desks, counter tops and hard-sided chairs, but they should not be used on the touchscreen panels or other electronic components at the teaching stations, he says.

“A major reason we are removing wipes is because long-term use is destructive to the touchscreen panels at the teaching stations,” Angiel says.