Time to Consider Air Quality Boosts for Covid (Yes, Again)

Covid-19 may have dropped off the personal radars of many millions of people. Masks have largely disappeared in public, entertainment events are seeing some spectacular attendances, restaurants are full.

But the virus in several new variants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is on an upswing. These mutations “can affect how contagious a virus is, how well it responds to treatment, and how severely it affects people.” 

“Based on what CDC knows now, existing tests used to detect and medications used to treat COVID-19 appear to be effective with this variant,” the agency said. “[The new variant] BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines. Scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the forthcoming, updated COVID-19 vaccine. CDC’s current assessment is that this updated vaccine will be effective at reducing severe disease and hospitalization.”

But, again, many if not most people have lost sight of how disruptive the virus can be, both in short term illness and so-called long Covid.

Owners of properties of all sorts — office, multifamily, industrial, medical office, retail, hospitality, and more — might consider what technologies they could employ to improve air flow and filtration as well as disinfection and position them as long-term commitments to tenants and their customers.

Just last year, there was growing attention on making office buildings safer for occupants. What the pandemic did was not start the interest but charge it with urgency and a “need for office space that promotes employee health and safety,” according to Marcus & Millichap. But as of the spring of 2020, “only 30 percent of office stock meets recent elevated benchmarks for both environmental and health and safety criteria.” Add the need for added health features—such things as touchless controls for almost everything, redesigned HVAC air flow, and floor plans that would allow more spacing between people—and one might ask how much of that 30% was up to snuff.

As Covid (and colds and flu, for that matter) are heavily carried by air, improving circulation, increasing the rate at which air in the building is exchanged from outside fresh air, and adding HEPA filtration air purifiers throughout can go a long way to improving conditions and reducing   illness of many types. Offer masks for those who want to wear them. By promoting conditions that help tenants stay in business, you could gain a marketing advantage and build branding strength for the long term.