A cleaning program to rigorously sanitise the communal areas of housing estates every month was unveiled on Monday.

The regular deep cleans are intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within communities. 

Social Accommodation Minister Roderick Galdes and Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities Alex Muscat announced the scheme.

Muscat said that the program aimed to have 400 social housing blocks a month cleaned throughout the pandemic. 

Staff from a private firm, Ozo Group, will carry out the cleaning works at no expense to the government. The company had already been providing cleaning services to local councils free-of-charge during the pandemic. 

Galdes said the company was not charging for its services as it had benefited from business assistance measures introduced due to COVID-19, effectively saving workers' jobs.  

Around 100 workers will be carrying out the work. 

"The safety of our communities remains a priority," Galdes said. 

"Many of the residents in these blocks are of an advanced age and thus automatically classified as vulnerable to COVID-19. We felt it was necessary to take any precautions we can to stop the spread of the virus in these zones."

The parliamentary secretary said that the materials required to carry out the cleaning would be financed through the Individual Investment Programme (IIP) Scheme. 

Muscat did not specify the exact amount, but said that the IIP would cover the necessary funds for the purchasing of cleaning chemicals.