Can Air Conditioning Spread the Coronavirus? Why Experts Are Concerned About Public Spaces

By Zee Krstic
Apr 27, 2020

Federal officials are exploring the role of the upcoming summer season on the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, debating experts’ arguments that humidity, temperatures, and direct sunshine won’t have a direct impact on the virality of COVID-19. But a new piece of evidence published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests that a more pressing concern might be the role that air conditioners will play in keeping communities safe throughout the warmer months.

The newly published study found that nine people were infected with COVID-19 simply by sitting near an air-conditioning vent in a restaurant in Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus was first identified. The study examined how one asymptomatic diner managed to impact diners around their vicinity as infectious droplets were circulated by the air conditioning system. The person in question sat at a table that was located in front of an AC unit. Four people at the person’s table later tested positive for COVID-19, as well as five people at neighboring tables.

Source: Good Housekeeping