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COVID-19 and Home Airflow: What You Should Know as a Homeowner or Property Manager

With the spread of the novel coronavirus and its associated disease, COVID-19, many people are reassessing how they conduct their day-to-day lives. From how we conduct work to how we behave at home, the new global pandemic has called many previous behaviors and environments into question.

One key health area that all New York City homeowners, landlords, and property managers should examine is airflow in the home or place of business. Let’s take a look at why that’s important and what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) includes on the topic in their guidelines and how Antler Motor and Pumps can help comply with these guidelines.

CDC Guidelines for Preventing Coronavirus Spread

Air Flow Recommendations

In late 2019, after seeing the spread of the novel coronavirus in China and beyond, the CDC established guidelines for preventing the spread of coronavirus. These guidelines were aimed at households and non-healthcare settings in which a person had been already diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or was under investigation.

The spread of coronavirus has been exponential since that time. New York City hospitals are rapidly approaching 100 percent occupation of all ICU (intensive care unit) beds. Many healthcare institutions are therefore now advising that both symptomatic people and those who are known to have been exposed to coronavirus be treated as presumptive positive cases.

The reality is that many people who have not been tested yet as positive for the virus may be infected. It’s better to assume people are infected and take appropriate measures than to believe every environment is safe.

It’s more important than ever that homeowners and landlords or their property managers heed the CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of disease. One essential element is:

“Make sure that shared spaces in the home have good airflow, such as by an air conditioner or an opened window, weather permitting.”

This is because the virus has been proven to adhere to certain surfaces after infected people have touched them. It is also spread by droplets expelled via coughing and sneezing by infected individuals. The possibility exists that the virus remains in the air for some time after it has been expelled. Creating better airflow helps move fresh air into the environment and reduce the risk of other people becoming infected.

How You Can Help Prevent Coronavirus Spread in Your Buildings

Improve Air Flow

Because of the instructions from the CDC, it’s extremely important that homeowners and landlords or their building staff work to maximize airflow in their building environments.

Antler Pumps can provide a key service for you by surveying your roof exhaust fans and making sure they are operating properly for adequate air circulation. We can repair or replace fans, blowers, and other systems that exhaust, supply, recirculate, and filter air, so you have the freshest air possible in your building. We carry a large selection of parts, so your repairs are completed in a timely fashion with a minimum of disruption.

Why Coronavirus Guidelines Are Always Useful

The coronavirus pandemic has spurred many buildings in New York to look at their air circulation and other aspects of occupant health. However, it’s wise to assess these systems even without the threat of a pandemic.

Influenza cases in any given winter are often higher in New York City than elsewhere because of the density of living and the number of visitors from outside the city. Children, the elderly, and pregnant women are particularly affected. During the 2019 holiday season, a large percentage of New York City emergency department visits were attributed to influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” growing even larger as the winter months progressed.

Experts warn that influenza will be with us for many years to come. And with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, healthcare professionals have cautioned that this won’t be our last pandemic. We’ve had close calls in recent years with swine flu, avian flu, and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). It pays to protect your buildings, your home, and your tenants with the proper airflow system.

For more information about your roof exhaust and air circulation system, feel free to reach out to Antler Motor & Pumps, a division of the Omnia Mechanical Group, at 212-534-2500 or via our online form. We can evaluate your current equipment and make recommendations to help make your building safer during the coronavirus pandemic. We are here to support you during this time that calls on New York professionals to work together to keep our great city going.