CIBSE update their COVID-19 Ventilation Guidance

As outlined in the document, indoor ventilation is important to reduced COVID 19 cases because,
 
‘It brings a stream of outside air into the building and removes stale air. Stale air includes body odours and exhaled breath and airborne pollutants such as smells from cleaning products and furniture.
 
Ventilation is also a very important way of diluting any airborne pathogens and there is good evidence showing that room occupants are more at risk of catching an illness in a poorly ventilated room than in a well-ventilated room. This is because in a poorly ventilated room occupants are exposed to a higher concentration of airborne pathogens, and the risk will increase with a greater amount of time spent in such an environment. Risk is a function of exposure and duration exposed. The risk of airborne infection to the individual can therefore be reduced by: - Reducing time spent in the location - Reducing airborne exposure concentration of infectious material - Reducing risk of contact spread through regular handwashing and surface cleaning. Ventilation rate and how it is delivered influence both airborne exposure and deposition rate.’

It is important that all reasonable steps are taken to avoid poor ventilation of indoor spaces as far as possible. One of the recommended actions to improve ventilation includes increasing natural ventilation through automated windows/vents by adjusting the CO₂ setpoints which will allow for more frequent opening and allow more outside air to flow through the space; this should be adjusted in winter to account for minimising occupant discomfort.
 
To continue reading, download the full document here.
 
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