The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India on Thursday issued new guidelines to contain the spread of Covid-19. The released guidelines mentioned that aerosols, one of the key transmission modes of the SARS-CoV-2, can travel in the air up to 10 meters.
K VijayRaghavan’s office Cautioning people to follow covid appropriate behaviour, the “easy to follow guidelines” highlighted the role of masks, social distancing, sanitation, and ventilation in the country’s fight against Covid-19.
While sharing a set of guidelines called “Stop the Transmission, Crush the Pandemic”, the panel said, “Always Remember: People who show no symptoms can also spread the virus.”
While stating that proper ventilation can prevent the spread of the virus, the panel added, “Running air conditioners while keeping windows and doors shut, traps infected air inside the room, and increases the risk of transmission from an infected carrier to others.”
“Just as smells can be diluted from the air through opening windows and doors and using exhaust systems, ventilating spaces with improved directional airflow decreases the accumulated viral land in the air, reducing the risk of transmission” the guidelines mentioned.
For workplaces, it recommended keeping doors and windows open while air-conditioners were on. Hospitals should ensure that vaccinations were carried out in well-ventilated areas and public transport like buses should keep windows open and use exhaust fans.
The guidelines also stated that asymptomatic people could also spread the virus thus urged everyone to wear a double mask as the virus can be spread through exhalation, talking, speaking, singing, laughing, coughing, and sneezing, etc.
The advisory further read: “Droplets emitted by an infected person land on various surfaces (where they can survive for a long time). As such, frequent cleaning of high contact points such as door handles, light switches, tables, chairs, and the floor with disinfectants like bleach and phenyl is recommended.”
