A lecturer in architecture, planning and environmental policy, Orla Hegarty, has suggested that CO2 monitors could be used in classrooms to monitor air quality and protect teachers and pupils.
Such monitors would not measure the virus, but they would monitor the amount of stale air in a room, she told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.
Ireland has a mild climate, does not have harsh weather so there was a “great opportunity” to help people understand the risks from stale air and to mitigate against that, she added.
Air quality levels
All buildings could be made safe if the situation was manipulated as had been done in other countries such as Japan where restaurants were fitted with CO2 monitors which operated on a traffic light system where customers could read air quality levels. If the readings became dangerous then they could leave the building.
The one caveat, Dr Hegarty had was that masks should be worn at all times and that would not be possible when eating.
The lecturer also suggested that masks should be worn by all school children when in the classroom. This was done in “lots” of countries as children could get the virus even if they do not have symptoms.
Eating and talking indoors were the main risk factors, she explained. Outdoor air was “pretty safe” while being inside a sealed building where there was trapped air was unsafe. People should avoid such conditions and wear masks, even indoors. This would protect both the wearer and others.
There were small, practical steps that everybody could take to be safer, she said. While Covid was a respiratory virus, this should not reduce people’s efforts with hygiene.
Ventilation
Most buildings such as supermarkets and pharmacies had very good air quality and ventilation, she said, having carried out spot checks herself.
Retail and hospitality could make their buildings safe and introduce measures to reassure staff and customers that their premises were safe. Portable filtration units could be used where there were ventilation problems, she added.
Dr Hegarty pointed out that in Denmark churches and museums and other buildings had been used as classrooms where there was not room in a school for classes to spread out, that should be considered in Ireland if necessary.
