The Union Government’s principal scientific adviser K VijayRaghvan’s Office issued the guidelines and said that adequate ventilation can play an important role in stopping the transmission of Covid-19 infection.
Recently, he tweeted that whether vaccinated or not, one must not forget the three basic principles of stopping virus – masks, social distancing, and ventilation. The guidelines said, “Just as a smell can be diluted by ventilation, the dangerous concentration of the virus can be reduced by ensuring that outdoor air flows in.”
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Some points from the issued advisory are:
- The advisory stated that a crucial point that a smaller aerosol (saliva and nasal discharge) particle can travel up to 10 meters.
- It further stated that the placement of the fan also plays a key role, as the fan should not be placed where it may cause air to flow directly to someone else.
- One point to keep in mind is that the windows and doors must remain open and if due to any reason they are shut, the exhaust fan should keep running. The guideline said, “Add an exhaust fan or turn a pedestal fan into an exhaust fan by turning it to face outdoors, to create the ideal airflow for maximum protection from indoor infection.”
- The documents have warned that saliva and nasal discharge are the primary modes of virus transmission. The infected person without symptoms may also transmit the virus. The Centre said, “In closed un-ventilated indoor spaces, droplets and aerosols become quickly concentrated and greatly increase the risk of transmission to people in the area.”
- VijayRaghavan also highlighted the use of double face masks or an N-95 mask. It said, “Ideally surgical mask should be used only once, but when pairing, you can use it up to 5 times by leaving it in a drying place for 7 days after one use.”