Air-conditioning spread the coronavirus to 9 people sitting near an infected person in a restaurant, researchers say. It has huge implications for the service industry.

[90DayFinancier 910]

https://www.businessinsider.com/air-conditioning-spread-coronavirus-restaurant-can-service-industry-open-again-2020-4

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Air-conditioning spread the coronavirus to 9 people sitting near an infected person in a restaurant, researchers say. It has huge implications for the service industry.
Shira Feder Apr 21, 2020, 8:49 AM
FILE - In this March 25, 2020 file photo, the dining section is closed off at East Side Pockets, a small restaurant near Brown University, in Providence, R.I. Desperate small business owners who hoped for a quick government lifeline to help them survive the coronavirus crisis are still without funds, instead battling red tape, wary banks and swamped computer systems. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
The dining section is closed off at East Side Pockets, a small restaurant near Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. It isn't the restaurant mentioned in the researchers' letter. Associated Press
In an early-release research letter in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers said they found that nine people sitting near one another at a restaurant in China in January got COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and that it likely spread because of the restaurant's air-conditioner.
The authors advised restaurants to increase the distance between tables and improve ventilation.
As restaurants look to reopen, experts say they will need to take extra safety measures, such as reducing capacity, having employees wear masks, and capping how long diners can stay there.

 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

 

  One of the issues is that they use distance (6 feet) as a means of precaution when it is actually based on time. The understanding has to be that six feet is a good working measure when we are outside walking, but we have to be aware that it is not effective in every situation. 

 

  When I was out biking the other day I was trying to calculate the effective distance I should be from someone. Unfortunately my math skills are not that good anymore. Basically though, if I'm riding at 25 MPH and the wind is 10 MPH, being six feet away from someone is not going to stop exposure.

 

  

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

I would think the possibility of dispersed air from an air conditioner would preclude dining inside as long as the potential for a restart exists

[Ban Hammer 13,551]

and now we ban air conditioners.

[TBoneTX 46,124]

There's nothing as ridiculous as progress.

[Dashinka 24,798]

Ok, this seems to be a stretch.  I could see the folks sitting at Table B being exposed due to AC airflow from the infected person at table A, but how does this explain the folks upwind of the infected person at table A and table C?  Considering this appears to be a lazy Susan style restaurant in China, I would think the folks at Table A probably caught it by using communal chopsticks.  

[millefleur 5,047]

I've actually been skeptical about A/C spreading it this whole time. If you have a very modern, snazzy A/C system with oft changed filters, i'm sure it works great at getting rid of the virus. But think about A/C units in places where maintenance is slack and those filters do not get changed, doors/windows are never opened to preserve the climate control, air becomes stale and recirculates....I'm not ruling it out that under certain conditions with outdated A/C units and bad or unchanged filters, bad, stuffy, circulated air could be a factor in the spread. 🤔

Edited April 22, 2020 by millefleur

[Steeleballz 7,550]

33 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I've actually been skeptical about A/C spreading it this whole time. If you have a very modern, snazzy A/C system with oft changed filters, i'm sure it works great at getting rid of the virus. But think about A/C units in places where maintenance is slack and those filters do not get changed, doors/windows are never opened to preserve the climate control, air becomes stale and recirculates....I'm not ruling it out that under certain conditions with outdated A/C units and bad or unchanged filters, bad, stuffy, circulated air could be a factor in the spread. 🤔

 

  I don't think it's an issue of virus getting in the AC system. It's just the air flow currents spreading droplets out farther than they normally would go. Six feet of distancing is not enough if you are down stream of someone sitting near an AC vent. Or even a fan for that matter.

[arken 4,197]

New rule: Replace central AC filters with N95 rated filters before opening businesses. 😁

[Ban Hammer 13,551]

13 hours ago, arken said:

New rule: Replace central AC filters with N95 rated filters before opening businesses. 😁

no such thing as a n95 rated filter.
there are filters that achieve similar results, but there is a different naming convention for that type of filter.
https://www.airfiltersdelivered.com/c/merv-mpr-fpr-ratings
https://www.filtrete.com/3M/en_US/filtrete/about-us/mpr-vs-merv/

[arken 4,197]

3 hours ago, Ban Hammer said:

no such thing as a n95 rated filter.
there are filters that achieve similar results, but there is a different naming convention for that type of filter.
https://www.airfiltersdelivered.com/c/merv-mpr-fpr-ratings
https://www.filtrete.com/3M/en_US/filtrete/about-us/mpr-vs-merv/

It seems satire has no place here. 

On a serious note: Use of any of those filters for this virus in a building central AC system is equivalent to wearing N95 mask with wide opening on the side. Doesn’t work anyway.

Edited April 23, 2020 by arken

[Ban Hammer 13,551]

32 minutes ago, arken said:

It seems satire has no place here. 

On a serious note: Use of any of those filters for this virus in a building central AC system is equivalent to wearing N95 mask with wide opening on the side. Doesn’t work anyway.

satire is undetectable until i have my coffee.

agreed they won't work in a business, but for a home, maybe.

[millefleur 5,047]

33 minutes ago, Ban Hammer said:

satire is undetectable until i have my coffee.

 

 

I forgot that we have gifs here. Surprized they don't get used  more.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Two words.

 

He pa.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Also, for those who need to hear it from "experts" that masks wont keep you from getting sick...