Jun 06, 2020 (NHK) - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a study by Chinese researchers who found that restaurant diners became infected with the coronavirus by droplets blown by an air conditioner.
The study analyzed the infection routes of 10 cases confirmed in January and February, and found that the 10 people had lunch in the same restaurant in the Chinese city of Guangzhou on January 24. Their three tables were next to each other and the restaurant had no windows.
A family that had traveled from Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the outbreak, was seated at the middle table. One family member developed coronavirus symptoms after the lunch.
The report says droplets from this person are believed to have been spread by the strong airflow from the air conditioner to the people at the other tables. The airflow direction was consistent with the droplet transmission.
The distance between the air conditioner and the opposite wall was six meters. The virus was not detected in the air conditioner itself, and no infections were confirmed among the 73 other customers on the same floor.
The report says restaurants should increase the distance between tables and improve ventilation.
The US Environmental Protection Agency also recommends that homes are sufficiently ventilated. It says air purifiers, when used properly, can help to reduce airborne contaminants, including viruses. But the agency says that a portable air cleaner, by itself, is not enough to protect people from COVID-19.
