Council calls for clean air technology in schools
CARMARTHENSHIRE Council is urging the Welsh Government to install clean air technology in schools in the fight against Covid-19.
The call was made by county councillors at a full meeting of the council after they heard Covid-19 numbers in the county were among the highest in Wales.
Councillors at the meeting, held at County Hall in Carmarthen, noted that the Delta variant of the virus is infecting children and young people at an unprecedented rate – yet schools in Wales have reopened after the summer holidays with no remedial mechanisms in place to protect pupils and staff.
Cllr Glynog Davies, Carmarthenshire Council’s cabinet member for education, said: “As it’s an airborne virus, ventilation and clean air is key in the battle against Covid-19, as recognised by the Joint Union Guide to Improving Ventilation in Schools and Colleges (published this month) and the Welsh Government strategy to provide CO2 monitoring equipment.
“However, monitors are not a solution to poor ventilation, they just indicate that there is a problem and remedial action should be taken.”
The council noted that the ozone technology favoured by the Welsh Government, for which £3.3m in funding was allocated, has been put on hold following safety concerns by medical experts.
Cllr Darren Price, the council’s education scrutiny chair, said: “Teaching unions, Unison, Unite and others have expressed great concern about staff safety, so I’m glad that the Welsh Government is taking steps.
“They may not necessarily be the most appropriate ones, but their allocation of several million pounds shows that they are ready to take responsibility for anticovid technology in our schools.
“What they must do now is consider installing alternative, proven technology to improve air quality in the classroom, which will substantially alleviate the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.”
Members were told that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that the most suitable equipment for use in rooms with poor ventilation are ultraviolet-based devices or High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which are at least 99.97% efficient in filtering the virus.
Having heard this, the council agreed to call on the Welsh Government to urgently consider approving, tendering and funding UV-C and/or HEPA units, as recommended by the HSE and validated as being appropriate and safe for use by the WHO (World Health Organisation), The Lancet and other leading medical authorities and publications.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Protecting children and young people from coronavirus is a top priority for us.
“We have made significant funding available for measures to monitor ventilation in schools, colleges and universities and to reduce the risks of airborne transmission of Covid-19.
“We continue to work with our Technical Advisory Group to investigate any and all ways to improve safety in our schools.”