Fans are Covid-19 warriors

The COVID-19 pandemic, an ongoing global pandemic has proven to be a health and humanitarian crisis. The new reality taking shape is made of complexity, uncertainty and even opportunities.

In this fight against Covid-19 pandemic, fans play an important role by improving ventilation and circulation. This places fans as a recognized and a cost-effective method to not only provide thermal comfort but also as a key intervention to prevent COVID-19.

Did you know Fans are your shield against Covid-19?

It is noteworthy to mention that the ‘National Guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control in healthcare facilities’, issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) , Govt. of India in January 2020 states that “use of air supply fans helps improve thermal comfort and maintain good ventilation even where windows or doors are closed.”

Taking a que from the above, several State Governments have also issued several public health advisories on usage of fans. The Government of Haryana’s Public Works Department has issued an advisory asking for ensuring proper ventilation and use fans as a better alternative to avoid spreading of COVID-19.

The Government advisories clearly flow towards the usage of fans against spread of Covid-19 infection. Since fans are a common man product, essential in almost every household across a tropical country like India, importance of fans as an affordable tool in fight against Covid-19 pandemic needs to be highlighted more and more.

The use of fans against Covid-19 is also backed by many international studies, recognizing that ventilation across a closed area is of utmost importance in fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The guidelines by the Centre for Disease Control, United States have emphasized on the importance of ventilation in buildings as an effective mitigation strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 disease and lower the risk of exposure. The guidelines have listed fans under Tools to Improve Ventilation.

From affordability point of view as well, fans have been listed in the guidelines under less than $100 interventions for ventilation.

Thus usage of fans in these difficult times is the need of the hour, as they are, in true sense, Covid warriors for the common person.