And then there are the rest. After over a year of avoiding the indoors except for necessities, it still just feels a little weird to some to lower your mask inside, whether it’s on the treadmill or at the bar.

It might be easier if each business had a little poster in its window with some sort of ventilation rating. Since that doesn’t exist, though, it’s on us to ask business owners (in the nicest way possible, of course) if their HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is up to code. And up to COVID-19.

What questions should we be asking, though? And what’s a good answer?

“It can be complicated, since it’s often a very building-specific or space-specific solution,” said Jeffrey Siegel, professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto. “But anytime you ask ‘What’s up with the ventilation?’ you tend to quickly find out how engaged the person making that decision is about the whole thing.

Read more...