Ventilation Becomes a Top Priority as NJ Officials Move to Reopen Schools This Fall
For the many schools in New Jersey whose buildings are over a century old, upgrading out-of-date HVAC systems will be a lengthy process.
Schools throughout New Jersey are readying to fully reopen this fall as the state is set to receive $3.9 billion in funding for schools from two recently passed COVID relief bills.
No additional ventilation requirements have been imposed on any school district, but the important role of proper ventilation in stopping the spread of COVID 19 infections means that poor circulation and ventilation in schools cannot continue. Officials are shifting their focus to ensuring that schools are properly ventilated before students return at full capacity in September. For the many schools in New Jersey whose buildings are over a century old, upgrading out-of-date HVAC systems will be a lengthy process.
The CDC has emphasized the importance of keeping windows open when possible to bring fresh air into circulation, as well as running the HVAC system for at least two hours before and after every school day to remove particles that may contain viruses from the air. Some experts even suggest keeping HVAC systems running 24 hours per day.
Of New Jersey’s 584 school districts, 496 are operating via hybrid instruction, 165 in-person, 118 entirely remote, and 32 with a combination of methods. Health officials state that in-person learning has not been a significant source of virus transmission up to this point in time. To maintain the safety of students when schools return to full capacity, improved ventilation will be used in combination with masks and (for teachers and older students) vaccinations.
"There is going to be a lot of public money out there for school districts to address their ventilation, and they really need to get this right," said Mark Davidson, Camfil’s Manager of Marketing and Technical Materials, for an article by northjersey.com. Camfil, an international manufacturer of cutting-edge air filtration technology, has seen a sharp rise in demand for air filtration systems during the pandemic, supplying air filters to hospitals, schools, public buildings, and production facilities all over the world. Camfil’s U.S. branch is headquartered in Morris County, New Jersey. "It's not just COVID. These are steps that are going to improve the air in schools for a long time to come."
About Camfil Clean Air Solutions
For more than half a century, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment. We firmly believe that the best solutions for our customers are the best solutions for our planet, too. That’s why every step of the way – from design to delivery and across the product life cycle – we consider the impact of what we do on people and on the world around us. Through a fresh approach to problem-solving, innovative design, precise process control and a strong customer focus we aim to conserve more, use less and find better ways – so we can all breathe easier.
The Camfil Group is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has 33 manufacturing sites, six R&D centers, local sales offices in 30 countries, and about 4,800 employees and growing. We proudly serve and support customers in a wide variety of industries and in communities across the world. To discover how Camfil USA can help you to protect people, processes and the environment, visit us at www.camfil.us/
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