Thousands of cleaning roles created in preparation for the easing of coronavirus restrictions

A $250 million package to prepare public infrastructure for the loosening of the virus lockdown will provide a boost for the workforce.

The New South Wales Government will hire up to 3000 cleaners to ensure the public transport network is safe for schoolchildren and commuters as the pandemic restrictions are loosened.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters this morning hundreds had already been employed for “deep level of cleaning” on buses, trains and other modes of transport in preparation for the easing of the lockdown from Friday and the returning of students from May 11.

The wave of hiring is part of the state government’s $250 million investment to disinfect public infrastructure and limit exposure to the deadly coronavirus.

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“A large proportion of that will go to the transport system, to make sure that people who need to use the transport system can be confident there’s that deep level of cleaning,” she said.

“A proportion of that will go to schools. And a proportion of that will go to other public institutions where we know people will be moving around.”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued a warning to stay vigilant to control the spread of the virus. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

From May 11, the government says it will have a better understanding of the number of people relying on public transport.

“This is part of the reason why we have the staged approach, to make sure every aspect of school going back is as safe as possible and mainly in and around the adults who will be supporting the children when they go back to school,” Ms Berejiklian said.

But the Premier issued a warning for the population to remain vigilant with practising safe social distancing measures as restrictions are lifted.

“We have seen around the world countries think they're over it, they get complacent and thousands of people die as a result in a very short period of time,” she said.

“We don't want to see it happen in New South Wales. We don't want to see us go backwards. We need to stay vigilant.”

Thousands of cleaners will disinfect the public transport network.

The announcement comes after companies providing specialised decontamination and disinfection cleaning are booming during the pandemic.

An on-demand cleaning company, Whizz, has reported a 160 per cent boost in business over the last two months and will hire an extra 1000 employees to meet demand.

The chief executive Anthony Pettiona said the company provides deep cleaning of high-risk areas in homes.

“We have a fully vetted marketplace of cleaners, with all the right equipment, supplies and hospital-grade disinfectants as standard for every household clean,” he said.

“We have introduced extra compliance measures for all cleans, ensuring cleaners take extra hygiene precautions with each clean, including wearing new rubber gloves for each household, utilising new cleaning cloths and wearing face masks as required.

“Cleaning teams must also verify via the Whizz smartphone app they have no cold or flu-like symptoms before each clean can proceed.”