Guide | How to ventilate a classroom to reduce the risk of contagion by Covid-19

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Scientists are clear on

to reduce the risk of contagion by covid-19.

Although there are many differences depending on the volume of the classroom, the number of children and their age, they advise ventilating an average of

.

Opening the windows about five times in a 100-square-meter class, with 25 students between the ages of five and eight, for example, allows

per person per second

to be renewed

.

This and other guidelines appear in a guide published this Wednesday by the

(CSIC) and technicians of the Mesura Association that includes

in schools and that provides tools to determine whether ventilation conditions are the right ones.

Prepared by María Cruz Minguillón and Xavier Querol, both from IDAEA-CSIC, together with José Manuel Felisi and Tomás Garrido, from the Mesura Association, the guide explains that

indoor air with clean air from outside. and that when purifying the particles in suspension, which may contain the virus, are eliminated.

How to reduce the accumulation of exalated particles

The particles or aerosols are exhaled by children

, they remain suspended in the air and their accumulation can cause infections.

Its accumulation

: reducing the number of children in class, remaining silent or speaking quietly (raising your voice or yelling raises the particle emission 300 times) and wearing a mask (well-fitting), according to scientists.

In addition, exposure to the

can also be reduced with the use of masks, reducing the time in class, maintaining interpersonal distance, and ventilating and purifying the air to eliminate the concentration of virus in the air.

What if natural ventilation is not enough against covid?

Experts insist that

are always

but, if they have to be carried out inside a classroom, they advise maintaining cross ventilation, with doors and windows open simultaneously on opposite sides.

In addition, they propose to use

individual

equipment

or impellers if natural ventilation is not enough.

In the case of having centralized ventilation systems, the outdoor air rate must be increased and recirculation must be reduced, and if no ventilation measure can be used, the air must be purified with equipment equipped with

, they point out. .

The solution can be a combination of options, for example, natural ventilation and purification can be combined.

To assess whether a given configuration is sufficient, the guide describes two methods based on carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements that are intended to quantitatively determine the ventilation of a classroom.

And although the guide refers to the classroom, its recommendations are valid for all types of interior spaces such as offices and other spaces for public use.

In addition, the scientists emphasize that

: use of masks, maintaining distance and hygiene measures, which remain the main tools to avoid contagion.

The guide, which recalls that "the risk of zero contagion does not exist", is available on the websites of the IDAEA-CSIC, the CSIC, the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Association of Environmental Technicians Mesura.

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