How to make indoor spaces safer during covid19

Open a window.

That's the short answer delivered by the World Health Organisation's Infection Prevention Control consultant Luca Fontana.

He gave the answer during a live Q&A on September 22, to offer guidance on making indoor spaces safer as part of the response to covid19.

He said this should be done in addition to mask-wearing, social-distancing and handwashing.

Fontana said the key to keeping indoor spaces safe was ventilation ,which allowed air from the outside to replace stale indoor air. He advised that people avoid recirculation of air. This advice, he said, applied to living spaces as well as work buildings.

But what's to be done in buildings where windows do not open, or offices which are windowless, like many modern buildings in Trinidad and Tobago?

Fontana said air conditioning could be used, once it's properly cleaned and maintained.

Then, he said, "When used along with other best practice measures, it can actually be a part of a plan to protect your family and yourself."

But not all air conditioning is created equal. Fontana recommended it should be put on settings which can bring outside air indoors. (In Trinidad and Tobago, most homes have split AC units, which do not have this function.)

"Some have HEPA filters, others don't. Pay attention to the type you have and the settings," Fontana advised.

HEPA filters – or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters – can significantly reduce covid19 particulates in the air, But many home units do not have them. They are used generally in hospitals.

What about fans for those particularly hot days?

Fontana said fans should be used at home in a family setting, but if someone who is not a live-in member of the family comes into the home, it should be turned off.

"The fan is going to blow the air from one person to another...you are taking droplets from one person to another."

Fontana said air purifiers could work to reduce the risk of covid19 spread, but only if they're run continuously, and cannot be expected to assist without other measures.

In the end, Fontana said throwing open the windows was better than any technology.