Western Michigan University has a plan for keeping COVID-19 out of the air in its buildings this winter, as people stay indoors during cold weather. Western head of facilities Pete Strazdas says adjusting the mix of outdoor and indoor air in the university’s buildings will help slow the airborne spread of the virus.
Strazdas says the university will bring more fresh air than usual into the buildings during the cold months. "It’s going to take more energy to warm that all up, but we believe that it is the right thing to do to follow the recommendations and our buildings will be safer,” Strazdas told WMUK.
“At the end of the day, we do know that social distancing, we do know that wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently is perhaps far more important to the other techniques we’ve been talking about. But making sure the indoor air quality is flushed and cleansed, it’s important,” he added.
Strazdas says that students living off campus can crack their windows and turn up the heat to keep air circulating. He says avoiding exposure to COVID-19 is with the extra cost.