A: Individuals: Avoid poorly ventilated, crowded indoor spaces to the extent possible. Building owners/tenants: Beef up air filtration, especially in older buildings.
Background:
A very loud squabble emerged last week around the classification of SARS-CoV-2 in the scientific taxonomy. Nerdy Girl Alison wrote a wonderful post walking through the science discussing what an “airborne” classification does (and does not!) mean. A key take-away: Evidence still points to sharing physical proximity as the primary source of infection risk; but emerging clues indicate that in some cases sharing poorly circulated air may be risky, too.
Today we’re following up with related PRACTICAL TIPS for staying safe and sane indoors. Here are three helpful strategies:
TRUST YOUR NOSE.
In a terrific Business Insider article, Professor Qingyan Chen at Purdue University offers that “Our noses are actually very good sensors of building ventilation.” If something smells funny, pay attention!
FEEL EMPOWERED TO SPEAK UP.
It’s OK – and even advisable! – to ask a building operator how they are “making the indoors more like the outdoors.”* In the same Business Insider article, architectural engineering professor Bill Bahnfleth at Penn State provides the specific technical language: “How are you supplying ventilation air? Do you have an outside air system, and does it recirculate air between multiple units?”
WEAR YOUR MASK INDOORS.
Universal masking in shared indoor spaces is recommended to help reduce the risk associated with poor circulation (NYTimes reference below). (Editorial note: Being at home with your family/”bubble” is, of course, an exception!) For great tips about mask options, please see Nerdy Girl Ashley’s wonderful recent post.
Additional points of context:
– Newer buildings typically have better indoor circulation than older buildings
– Schools, nursing homes, and other institutional settings should be resourced sufficiently to add “powerful new air filters and ultraviolet lights” (From a New York Times article).
– Please continue to keep the SMART principles in mind!
o S: Space. Stay 6’ apart.
o M: Mask. Keep it on.
o A: Airflow. Outside is best.
o R: Restrict. Socialize with a small, stable “bubble.”
o T: Time. Keep it short.
– For those in our community who are involved with designing and implementing building infection control protocols, we continue to highly recommend Harvard professor Joseph Allen’s report, which is chock-a-block full of helpful specifics. (Note that this report is written specifically about school buildings but is broadly applicable).
Stay safe, stay sane. Stay in well-ventilated spaces 😷
-Lindsey
*Thanks to NPR’s Goats and Soda article for this helpful phrasing!
