The answer to opening schools and other venues safely is to revamp or supplement the existing ventilation systems. This does not mean opening the windows and turning on the fans. It means a robust system that filters, disinfects and exchanges inside air with fresh outside air at least three times per hour.

This means rebuilding schools and office buildings and other indoor gathering spaces with state-of-the-art HVAC systems. In the interim, there are portable (i.e., cheaper but less effective) systems available that should have already been installed. Time is of the essence if we ever want to return to normal again.

And no, mask wearing inside these spaces does not solve the problem – it only gives a false sense of security. The virus can be contracted through the eyes and through cheap surgical masks if exposed long enough to the aerosol containing the virus particles (which can remain in the air for up to a half hour).

The long-term solution is very expensive, but so is a crippled economy.

Bruce Crawford
Kittery

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