Cleveland Area Businesses Improving Indoor Airflow To Reduce COVID-19

As the weather gets cooler and we all prepare to stay indoors, experts are urging businesses, schools, and others to improve heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

According to health experts, the coronavirus is spread through respiratory droplets, which can remain in the air for hours indoors, especially in poorly ventilated places or where the air is recirculated, such as with air conditioning.

Governor Mike DeWine is calling on business owners to revamp HVAC systems in preparation for the winter months when they will primarily serve patrons indoors. DeWine said in a recent press briefing that health officials will release more guidance for indoor establishments soon.

Experts recommend keeping the air moving, bringing in more outside air, and installing filtration and air cleaning systems.

Abraham Nabors, owner of Mustard Seed Café in downtown Akron, followed the advice of experts and installed air-cleaning devices called “air scrubbers”. The devices generate chemical compounds into the air that can kill airborne viruses, Nabors said.

The store was closed for several months due to COVID-19 concerns. It opened in early September, he said.

Staff members have implemented safety measures such as spacing out tables in the dining room eight feet apart and regularly sanitizing the cafe. Nabors, however, did not think that was sufficient enough to keep people safe, he said.

In addition to new air-cleaning devices, tables have been spread out in Mustard Seed's dining room and people order through a mobile system. [Mustard Seed Cafe]

“I actually have less concerns about surface sanitation than I do about airborne transmission,” he said.

Nabors decided to purchase the air scrubbers after researching COVID-19 outbreaks linked to airborne spread at a church choir practice and an air-conditioned restaurant, he said.

The installation cost nearly $10,000, which was an expensive investment for a small business, he said. Without the improvements, however, dining indoors would not be safe, he said.

“If you don’t actually make your place safe, and then people start getting infections, no one’s going to come,” Nabors said.

School districts have also been encouraged to make improvements to their HVAC systems. In Rocky River schools, officials recently installed new filtration and air-cleaning devices in school buildings.

The project cost nearly $500,000, said Sam Gifford, facilities director for the district.

“It was a major investment for the district,” Gifford said.

School officials believe the additions will improve air quality and reduce diseases even after the pandemic, he said.

“We have a lot of people in and out of our buildings all the time and if we can sanitize the air to improve attendance and health of students and staff, we want to do that,” Gifford said.

Rocky River students will return to in-person learning next week now that the devices have been installed, he said.