CDC Releases New Air Ventilation Guidelines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated ventilation guidelines for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in indoor facilities.

The revised CDC guidance was developed in conjunction with a new standard from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHARE) and provides detailed recommendations for how to make indoor air healthier. Among the updates is a target for how often rooms and buildings should be fully ventilated — five air changes per hour, CNN reports. The CDC also recommends using MERV-13 air filters in all HVAC systems and deploying portable or built-in high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) fan/filtration systems.

A complete listing of updated CDC guidelines can be found on the agency’s website.