Video Badger Talks: Staying safe from COVID while indoors

As colder weather sets in, outdoor places to gather like patios and lawns start to look less appealing. But with the continued risk of COVID-19, getting together with friends and family inside isn’t the safest option.

In this Badger Talks video, Tim Bertram, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of chemistry and an expert on air quality, discusses what we can do to minimize risk indoors.

Bertram recommends wearing a mask, observing social distance, running the furnace fan and limiting time spent indoors with other people.

Air purifiers can help, according to Bertram. One low-cost option – taping a furnace filter onto a box fan. Air filters are a well-established option for improving indoor air quality, according to Bertram.

With the holidays on the horizon, some people are looking ahead and wondering if it’s possible to have friends and family in their homes to celebrate. Bertram says it’s important to limit interactions and stay within your circle of family or friends, while wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing. Being in a well-ventilated room is also important to mitigate airborne transmission of COVID-19.

And if we are in a room together this fall, Bertram reminds us that airborne particles are formed through activities like breathing, talking and coughing. Larger particles, he says, may not travel as far but smaller particles that do carry the virus and can move all through an indoors space.