The Dutch Education minister Arie Slob is allocating 360 million euros to help schools improve their ventilation system. This he announced today. The survey by the National Coordination Team for Ventilation in Schools (LCVS) shows that 11 percent of primary and secondary schools (at least 777 locations) have not yet got the ventilation system in order.
Ventilation and corona proof
The LCVS have investigated the ventilation systems to make schools “corona-proof”. Well-ventilated classrooms can prevent the spread of the corona virus.
Not all schools have been studied yet
There are approximately 9,300 primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands. Almost 80 percent participated in the LCVS investigation. However, the results of many schools have not yet been received. More than half of them do not yet know whether they meet all the requirements. The number of schools where the ventilation still must be adjusted could be considerably higher.
Building regulations and ventilation
The LCVS is examining whether the schools meet the requirements set out in the 2012 Dutch Building Decree. Critics, however, say that these requirements are not sufficient to make schools “corona-proof”. After all, the requirements are from 2012. At the time, the requirements regarding the spread of germs were not considered and the requirements indicate in particular that the classrooms must be well ventilated to ensure that children do not become dull due to the stuffy air. Many health specialists therefore say the requirements must go further.
Diffusion via aerosols
According to the RIVM, the Dutch Center for Disease Control, the corona virus spreads mainly via large droplets. For that reason, they use the 1.5 meter measure. However, the American counterpart of the RIVM, the CDC, has announced that the virus is also spread via aerosols, small droplets in the air that may spread further than 1.5 meters. If the latter is the case, it is important that the air is not only ventilated, but also cleaned and disinfected.
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