Clean air for Germany’s schools
Aachen/Essen. Federal and regional governments in Germany have reacted to the months of school shutdowns in the first half of the year and have stepped up their health protection measures. The German Environment Agency now expressly recommends the use of mobile air purifiers to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Aachen-based STEAG subsidiary Krantz is a specialist in that field, producing an especially quiet, energy-efficient air filtering device in the form of the VIRUSPROTECT, which is highly effective in the battle against COVID.
When classes start again on August 18 after the summer vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, this is a cause of great concern for students, teachers and parents. This is because the risk of infection is particularly high after the vacation period: children under the age of twelve and many young people have not yet been vaccinated and can bring the coronavirus to school.
To prevent further school closures and ensure that classes are attended on a permanent basis, the federal and state governments have significantly tightened the health protection measures. These now also provide for the use of mobile air purification devices such as the VIRUSPROTECT, developed and manufactured by the STEAG subsidiary Krantz in Aachen.
Recommendation from the Federal Environment Agency
It was only at the beginning of July that the German Federal Environment Agency recommended the use of mobile air purifiers in schools for the first time. Particularly in classrooms with limited ventilation options, the agency said, the devices were effective and would minimize the likelihood of indirect infections from aerosols during the current coronavirus pandemic. Almost simultaneously, the federal government and states such as North Rhine-Westphalia provided additional funding to enable regional school boards to procure such devices, if possible, by the start of the new school year.
Successfully deployed in Berlin
Krantz, a recognized specialist for exhaust air systems and air purification, had already participated in a bidding process in Berlin in February and won against a number of competitors. Since then, 59 VIRUSPROTECT units have been providing effective protection from infection at 25 schools in Berlin’s Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district.
Full protection in a full classroom
The VIRUSPROTECT from Krantz is particularly suitable for the demands of daily school life. The device ensures a significant reduction in the risk of infection even in fully occupied classrooms up to 120 square meters in size. Highly effective cleaning of room air is achieved with the help of H14 HEPA filter elements in combination with the unit’s patented antiviral coating. Microorganisms like the coronavirus are removed from the room air and rendered harmless. The VIRUSPROTECT does not release any heat or harmful substances during operation and is also extremely quiet.
“We would like to build on our success in Berlin and hope for great interest from the relevant authorities in the light of the better funding opportunities now available in other German states,” says Norbert Schröder, Managing Director of Krantz GmbH.
