Scientists call on CDC to set air standards for workplaces, now

CDC on Friday released new guidelines for reopening schools, but overlooked improved ventilation as a precaution. In a letter sent Monday, a group of 13 experts noted that while hospitals tend to have good ventilation, CDC did not recommend the use of high-quality masks or upgrades to ventilation systems at other facilities such as meatpacking plants, correctional facilities, buses, or grocery stores, where workers may be exposed to the coronavirus for long periods of time. Linsey Marr, an expert on aerosols at Virginia Tech, says: “If we properly acknowledge this, and get the right recommendations and guidance into place, this is our chance to end the pandemic in the next 6 months.” The letter was sent to Jeffrey D. Zients, coordinator of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response; CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD; and Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. President Biden has directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue emergency temporary standards for COVID-19, including those regarding ventilation and masks, by March 15. However, OSHA will only mandate standards backed by CDC guidance, notes David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington University and one of the letter signers. He warns, “Until the CDC makes some changes, OSHA will have difficulty changing the recommendations it puts up because there’s an understanding the government has to be consistent.”