All of the protocols issued by Setty based on their analysis of each school will utilize these principles. The actual air change rates, filter levels and appropriate technology will be selected based on the HVAC’s units ability to handle the changes. In most cases, with the larger units, changes are possible and in the case of smaller classroom level units, the recommended approach will be to engage portable units with filtration levels that exceed MERV 13 (HEPA) and ultraviolet light to disinfect the air. HEPA filters are those used in the hospital setting and provide a high level of particulate arrestance. There are no silver bullets but we must strive to improve the indoor air quality and thereby mitigate the probability of infection.

The next phase is to ensure the indoor air quality is monitored not only by the building control systems but by a secondary sensing system run in parallel. This sensing system will take samples across the school and monitor for particulate level (PM 2.5), CO2 levels, Temperature, Humidity, TVOC’s. This sensor needs to have all of these built into one device to ensure continuity of sampling and also port the data to a trending platform for analysis. AS people occupy the space and the time element increases, we must monitor the efficiency of the filtration and dilution via fresh air. After various solutions were vetted, the best solution was Senseware. This platform will allow us to answer the most basic question – is it working and what can we do to continue to improve the indoor air quality.