Source: BBC NEWS TURKISH
In many countries around the world, including Turkey, face-to-face education is starting to resume in schools with the normalization steps taken in the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts emphasize the importance of good ventilation in a safe return to school.
It is very possible for an infected person to spread the virus in an enclosed space. Fresh air is as key as washing hands, wearing masks and taking social distancing measures.
A simulation developed by engineers in Germany shows how an inadequately ventilated classroom plays an important role in the spread of the virus.
To ensure this, experts have some suggestions.
High windows are best
The first and foremost thing is to make sure the windows are open. Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald, a medical adviser to the government in the UK, says this is the most important step.
It is not easy to keep the window open all the time in cold weather. But it is important to know how to ventilate effectively.
Fitzgerald notes that this is easier to do with tall windows:
"By opening high-level windows a small amount, you can air out the room without your children suffering from the cold."
Dr. Fitzgerald says this will eliminate any potential virus in the air.
On the other hand, it is very important to keep the level of fresh air at the highest level in classrooms with ventilation systems without windows.
'Shorten the lesson times'
The time spent indoors is also very important for air quality, because the more time you spend in an enclosed space, the more likely you are to catch the virus.
Dr. Sheely Miller, an air quality expert at the University of Colorado, also recommends keeping classes as short as possible.
Miller says it's better to do five 30-minute lessons than three 50-minute lessons.
This not only reduces the likelihood of air contamination, but also the time during which staff and students may be exposed to the risk of the virus.
It is also much easier to air out the classroom when everyone has left.
Dr. Miller also took part in a study on the relationship between spending time indoors and the contagiousness of the virus.
Recalling that research, Dr. Miller says, "If you reduce the time you spend indoors from 2.5 hours to 30 minutes, you will reduce the risk of infection from 87 percent to 10 percent."
'You can tell with your nose that the environment is stuffy'
If the environment is devoid of air, students may become distracted and their eyelids may droop. This is related to the carbon dioxide level in the environment.
Experts say that devices that measure carbon dioxide levels are also a way to understand whether there is enough clean air in classrooms.
Because the higher the carbon dioxide level, the more breathing has been done and the greater the likelihood of the virus circulating somewhere in the air.
These devices, of course, do not detect the virus, but they can give an idea of the air quality and risk in the place.
However, it is not possible for every school to cover the cost of these devices.
Dr Fitzgerald says that in this case, the nose is a 'natural sensor' for this.
"If I don't have a meter, I'll use my nose. If it's stuffy and it smells stuffy, I'll get up and open the windows."
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