After two years of predominantly remote work for office workers in New York, companies are starting to have their employees leave video conference calls behind and reopen their doors for in-person work. Some larger names operating out of New York City like CitiGroup have asked their employees to come back to their offices on Wall Street as of Feb. 7, and both Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have made it clear that they want New Yorkers back to work in person as soon as possible. 

But, there are some major questions that employees will need to have answered before they feel comfortable with sitting down for hours on end in a confined space. Questions of sanitation protocols, flexibility in their work-life balance and how closely their offices will abide by mask and vaccine regulations will all be on the table. And, according to a study done by the Partnership for New York City, many employees simply prefer to be remote as it eliminates the possibility of a run-in with infection and aids them in being able to provide child care, among other personal reasons. 

City & State reached out to several experts to gauge what employees should keep an eye out for from their management, and how employers can strive to make their workspace as safe as possible amid the pandemic: Anna Bershteyn, an assistant professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and CEO of Epidemic Intelligence Service; and Nellie Brown, director and Lead Programs Manager of Workplace Health and Safety Programs at the Institute of Labor Relations at Cornell University. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What are precautions that office building owners, company management and administrators should take to protect themselves and workers during the transition back to in-person work?

Anna Bershteyn: Like schools and any other group settings, it’s best to have multiple layers of protection because none are perfect. Some layers, like reduced occupancy and mask requirements, can be dialed up and down depending on levels of transmission. Other layers are always good to have regardless of transmission, for example, making sure employees can stay home when sick. One of the best “always” layers is to increase the number of clean air exchanges in workspaces. This has upfront costs, but it pays back in many ways. It reduces COVID-19 risk without interfering with communication in the same way as masks or occupancy limits, it protects against other cold and flu viruses, and it prevents chronic illnesses linked to indoor air pollution. It also just feels nice to have clean air. All of this adds up to less absenteeism and healthier, happier employees: a win-win.

Denis Nash: I think it is important to understand that workers in the same organization may be in different places. Some feeling more comfortable with in-person work and others less so. To me, that means that it is important to be flexible with policies and procedures in ways that make sense to each environment. It is important for administrators to understand the landscape of comfort levels, and what steps they can take to help employees feel comfortable with how the organization is moving forward. 

Nellie Brown: Use your joint labor-management health and safety committee to develop or implement risk reduction policies and procedures. Make sure that employees know how to access benefits and support for grief, stress, fatigue, depression, work/family balance – put employee well-being into the workplace’s written policy. Be prepared to communicate a lot about new or changed policies and procedures with time and accessibility to respond to questions and concerns. 

Encourage keeping vaccinations up to date for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, etc. Even make vaccination for the pandemic a mandatory policy. If the workplace is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, then negotiate with the union.

When a worker decides to start coming back into work in-person, what can they do as individuals to protect themselves even before they step foot into their workspace?

Anna Bershteyn: To reduce your COVID-19 risk and other risks, invest in your health. If you’ve gotten behind in health care, make sure you are up-to-date on vaccines including COVID-19 and flu, and book your physical, dental cleaning and any specialized care that you need. Be kind to your colleagues, and to yourself. You’ve all been through a lot.

Before it’s time to head to the office, decide how low COVID-19 transmission would need to get for you to personally feel comfortable doing higher-risk things, like large group meetings or taking off your mask around others. If you’re older, high-risk, or live with someone at high risk of COVID-19, talk to management about possible accommodations like staggering meal breaks so you can avoid a crowded break room.

Unless your employer is providing them, you’ll need high-quality masks like N95 or KN95. If these are tough for you to wear for long periods, try doubling up lower-quality masks like surgical or cloth. Experiment at home to see what works for you. For example, I bought an adjustable behind-the-head strap that attaches to the ear loops of a mask, which makes my mask fit better and helps me stay comfortable.

Denis Nash: In-person work, which is not a choice for many people at all, comes with a host of considerations beyond whether you feel comfortable about the safety of the workplace. It means considerations around the commute and it means considerations for those in the household, including those who may be medically vulnerable or unvaccinated or undervaccinated. In addition to getting boosted, use of higher grade masks in public places, including the workplace, are the best steps that an individual can take. Having some at-home tests in case symptoms develop or in the case of a workplace exposure is also a good idea if you can afford them.

Nellie Brown: Be prepared for anxious feelings and for some changes in our social interactions. Maybe you won’t feel comfortable hugging or shaking hands with people – that’s a good defense mechanism that has served us well during this pandemic, and we will probably want to continue being choosy with our interactions for a while yet. Be willing to seek help if your emotions become too much to bear – we are all grieving the changes in our lives. Keep your vaccinations up-to-date for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza to protect yourself and to protect others, especially the vulnerable among us. Practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. Wear a good quality face mask or N95 respirator in indoor spaces other than a private office when you’re alone. If you feel sick, stay home or go home; test yourself or get tested, then isolate or quarantine as the CDC advises.

Looking ahead, what changes do you see staying in the workplace even if current mask or vaccine restrictions are lifted across the state and in the city?

Anna Bershteyn: Some COVID-19 measures are a good idea even without a pandemic. Increasing clean air circulation in the workplace is great for general health. Making sure sick employees can stay home from work would help stop the spread of cold and flu. And even with offices open, remote work and virtual communication have many great uses and are sure to have a larger role than before the pandemic.

Denis Nash: I hope that there is more of a culture of workplace wellness. A culture of workplaces doing things to promote the health and safety of workers, including around infectious diseases like COVID-19 and flu. There are some times when people should just stay home, and they shouldn’t be penalized for doing so. It is actually helping to ensure continuity and minimize disruption in the workforce. 

Nellie Brown: Improvements to ventilation systems are probably here to stay. Professional societies involved in making ventilation recommendations have been advising that we rethink ventilation and building designs for airborne disease control. More provisions for outdoor dining and extending the seasons for outdoor dining will be here to stay. Mask-wearing will probably continue by individuals who are more vulnerable to infection, and maybe by people who have a cold as a courtesy to others. Cleaning and disinfection of commonly-touched surfaces will probably continue for a while. Flexible and hybrid work arrangements have proven so popular, as well as having no loss in productivity, that employers will probably continue a variety of arrangements. This means that some organizations will downsize their office space requirements accordingly. Along with more remote work, technology needs and upgrades will continue to increase to support it.

Offices will be trying to present themselves as the better alternative to virtual work and the never-ending Zoom fatigue that has plagued so many office workers. What should workers be on the lookout for to let them know that their office might be taking a flawed approach to COVID-19 safety, or focusing too much on safety measures proven to be ineffective?

Anna Bershteyn: We know that multiple layers of protection can be used to prevent COVID-19 transmission: masks, physical distancing and avoiding crowds, clean air exchanges, and hand hygiene. Workplaces should use every layer of protection when transmission is high, and then might relax some layers when transmission is lower. Transmission in most of the country is still high right now, so expect your employer to have most of these layers of protection in place until things improve. Very frequent testing (at least weekly) can also reduce transmission. Just as importantly, testing can be used to see if your layers of protection are working well. If anyone has been positive in the workplace, employers should consider testing everyone who was possibly exposed. If the fraction who test positive is more than the general positivity rate in the community, that’s a danger sign that more precautions are needed.

Denis Nash: I think a red flag would be if there are policies and dialogue that is not supported by a clear rationale for why policies and policy components were chosen. There should be a coherent plan and it should make sense to those that are developing it and those that are subject to it. It should address how to maintain a safe work environment, and what to do if someone is found to have COVID-19 (or flu). It should address how future surges will be handled if there are any. If there is no plan, or no attempts to communicate the plan to all those that need to know, that would be a red flag to me. If a workplace is making masks optional in public places, but not requiring boosters and/or routine testing, that would be a red flag. There is a lot that the workplace can do to help, such as making sure people have access to higher grade masks for being in public places in the office, as well as during the commute. They can provide time off to get vaccinated and boosted and tested as needed. They can even facilitate access to testing when needed, or as part of routine workplace procedures/safety.

Nellie Brown: Widespread area spraying of disinfectants, especially if not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for that purpose or application method, can produce serious overexposure to building occupants. Hybrid meetings where remote workers do not receive equitable treatment; that is, flexibility and remote work are allowed, but the workers are not regarded as being productive or important to the organization. Use a joint labor-management health and safety committee to assist in responding to staff concerns or complaints, as well as obtain technical information on ventilation or other hazard reduction methods to verify that these are working and effective. The committee can help to build trust, as well as field concerns that people may not feel comfortable voicing on their own. Provide an employee assistance program to support workers who are feeling anxious, overstressed or otherwise need help.

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A view of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, site of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. L.A. County health officials still ask for caution and adherence to protocols despite the decrease in omicron cases. (Wally Skalij/TNS)

LOS ANGELES (TNS) — Los Angeles County public health authorities are urging people to celebrate the Super Bowl with caution as new coronavirus cases continue to decline following a surge fueled by the omicron variant.

County officials on Saturday reported 4,760 new cases of the virus and 84 related deaths. There were 2,211 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals as of Friday, a decline of nearly 27% from a week before, when there were 3,012 patients.

The share of tests returning a positive result over the last week also declined to 3.4%, down from 5.4% a week before, officials said. The seven-day average of new cases has declined by 77% over the last two weeks, and deaths have dropped by about 3%, according to the Los Angeles Times coronavirus tracker.

The encouraging metrics come as the county prepares to host the Super Bowl in Inglewood on Sunday.

“As people prepare to watch the game either at SoFi Stadium, at a restaurant or bar, or at home with friends and family, please remember the sensible public health measures that protect us all,” Barbara Ferrer, the county public health director, said in a statement. “L.A. County believes in taking care of each other, and I know we can take care of one another and enjoy the game at the same time.”

Those who are planning to gather for or attend the game should get vaccinated or boosted beforehand and get a coronavirus test as close to the start as possible, as well as afterward, if they might have been exposed to the virus, the public health department said in a news release. Those who are ill or have tested positive are advised to skip the festivities.

Those hosting a gathering should keep it small and outdoors, or improve indoor air flow if that’s not possible, the county said.

And anyone attending a gathering should wear a high-quality mask, keep their hands clean and steer clear of others while eating, officials said.

Super Bowl attendees will be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result in order to enter the stadium and must wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking.

In a recent poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times and SurveyMonkey, almost two-thirds of those surveyed in the Greater Los Angeles area expressed some concern that the Super Bowl will lead to an outbreak of the coronavirus, the poll found, with 36% saying it’s “somewhat likely” and 27% saying it’s “highly likely.”

Still, 44% of L.A.-area residents expressed faith that the game-day protocols at the stadium — if followed — will have a “major impact” on controlling the spread of the virus.

___

(Staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.)

___

©2022 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The number of COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles County hospitals plunged once again Sunday, Feb. 13, down by 125 people from the previous day — continuing a trend that has seen hospitalizations decline by more than half in about a month.

There were 2,086 people in LA County hospitals with COVID-19, according to the latest state figures released Sunday. Of those, 439 were in intensive care, down from 461 on Saturday.

Hospitalizations had climbed to more than 4,800 in mid-January at the height of the omicron-fueled winter surge.

The decline is particularly notable for folks hoping to see coronavirus-related regulations relaxed further.

If the hospitalization number stays below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, the county will consider itself to be entering a “post-surge” phase, under guidelines Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced earlier this month, and will lift its mask mandate for outdoor “mega-events” and outdoors at schools and childcare centers.

The state data reported on Sunday, but through Saturday, marked the third day of sub-2,500 hospitalizations.

Ferrer said last week that absent a sudden increase in hospitalizations, the outdoor mask mandate could be lifted as early as Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Of course, Sunday also marked a day in which untold numbers of LA County residents will gather in houses, bars, restaurants and SoFi Stadium because of Super Bowl LVI, between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams.

That’s why public health officials have repeatedly stressed taking precautions, including:

• Getting a COVID test as close to the start of the game as possible and after the game if you had possible exposures.
• Keeping gatherings small and outdoors, or if that’s not an option, improving indoor air flow.
• Keeping your hands clean and keeping your distance while eating.
• Wearing a well-fitted high-quality mask.

“Please remember the sensible public health measures that protect us all,” Ferrer said in a Saturday statement. “L.A. County believes in taking care of each other, and I know we can take care of one another and enjoy the game at the same time. Please be safe, have the best time ever, and go Rams!”

The county reported 4,889 new positive COVID-19 tests on Sunday and another 58 virus-related deaths.

Those numbers — which officials said likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend — brought the county’s totals to 2,761,870 cases and 29,902 deaths since the pandemic began.

More than 11.2 million individuals have been tested, with 22% of those people testing positive, the health department said.

Transmission rates are key, since even though the county’s outdoor masking requirements could be lifted this week, the indoor masking mandate will remain in place until much stricter criteria are met.

That’s in spite of the state planning to lift its indoor mask requirement for vaccinated people later this week.

The county’s indoor mask rule will not be lifted until the county’s virus-transmission rate falls to the “moderate” level as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two straight weeks, or until COVID-19 vaccines have been available to children under 5 years old for eight weeks, Ferrer said.

Reaching the CDC’s “moderate” designation requires the county to have a cumulative, seven-day new case rate of less than 50 per 100,000 residents.

The county’s rate was 518 per 100,000 as of Friday, according to the CDC’s website. That’s down from 622 per 100,000 residents on Thursday.

Keepping hospitalizations down, meanwhile, may depend on the county’s vaccination and booster rates continuing to climb.

Ferrer on Friday again urged vaccinated residents to obtain booster shots, noting that the effectiveness of vaccines wanes over time, and saying the additional dose is the best defense against a trip to a hospital because of the virus.

“Given the evidence of waning protection over time from the COVID vaccines, eligible residents and workers should get boosted as soon as possible,” she said in a statement. “As we think about the ‘post-surge’ strategies, increasing the number of people optimally protected from COVID infection helps us decrease the number of people who become seriously ill and die from COVID.

“Appropriate actions that allow us to live with this virus without major disruptions,” she added, “will need to include strategies that reduce the impact of the virus on those most vulnerable.”

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Originally Appeared Here

The number of COVID-positive hospital patients continues to plunge in Los Angeles County, declining by 125 people to 2,086, according to the latest state figures released Sunday.

The number of those patients in intensive care was 439, down from 461 a day earlier.

Hospitalizations had climbed to over 4,800 in mid-January at the height of the Omicron-fueled winter surge in cases.

Under guidelines announced this month by county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, if the hospitalization number stays below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, the county will consider itself to be entering a “post- surge” phase, and will lift its mask mandate for outdoor “mega-events” and outdoors at schools and childcare centers. Saturday marked the third day of sub- 2,500 hospitalizations.

Ferrer said last week that absent a sudden increase in hospitalizations, the outdoor mask mandate could be lifted as early as this Wednesday.

The latest numbers came as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 4,889 new positive COVID tests and another 58 virus-related deaths. Those numbers — which officials said likely reflect reporting delays over the weekend — brought the county’s totals to 2,761,870 cases and 29,902 fatalities since the pandemic began.

More than 11.2 million individuals have been tested, with 22% of those people testing positive, the health department said.

Ferrer cautioned people planning to watch Sunday’s Super Bowl in person, at area bars or restaurants or at private parties to follow several common-sense guidelines, including:

• Getting a COVID test as close to the start of the game as possible and after the game if you had possible exposures;

• Keeping gatherings small and outdoors, or if that’s not an option, improving indoor air flow;

• Keeping your hands clean and keeping your distance while eating;

• Wearing a well-fitted high-quality mask.

“As people prepare to watch the game either at SoFi Stadium, at a restaurant or bar, or at home with friends and family, please remember the sensible public health measures that protect us all,” Ferrer said Saturday. “L.A. County believes in taking care of each other, and I know we can take care of one another and enjoy the game at the same time. Please be safe, have the best time ever, and go Rams!”

On Friday, Ferrer again urged vaccinated residents to obtain booster shots, noting that the effectiveness of vaccines wanes over time, and saying the additional dose is the best defense against a trip to a hospital due to the virus.

“Given the evidence of waning protection over time from the COVID vaccines, eligible residents and workers should get boosted as soon as possible,” she said in a statement. “As we think about the `post-surge’ strategies, increasing the number of people optimally protected from COVID infection helps us decrease the number of people who become seriously ill and die from COVID. Appropriate actions that allow us to live with this virus without major disruptions to our lives will need to include strategies that reduce the impact of the virus on those most vulnerable.”

While the county’s outdoor masking requirements could be lifted this week, the indoor masking mandate will remain in place until much stricter criteria are met. That’s in spite of the state planning to lift its indoor mask requirement for vaccinated people next week.

According to Ferrer, the county’s indoor mask rule will not be lifted until the county’s virus-transmission rate falls to the “moderate” level as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for two straight weeks, or until COVID vaccines have been available to children under 5 years old for eight weeks.

Reaching the CDC’s “moderate” designation requires the county to have a cumulative, seven-day new case rate of less than 50 per 100,000 residents. According to the CDC’s website, the county’s rate was 518 per 100,000 as of Friday. That’s down from 622 per 100,000 residents on Thursday.

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By Kim Cook

Houseplants have been keeping a lot of us company during the pandemic, and the good news is there’s a plant for any home, big or small, well-lit or not.

There’s also a virtual jungle of stylish containers in which to show them off.

“I love incorporating plants into our interior spaces,” says designer Mel Bean, ”both for the sense of life that they contribute, and for their help in improving indoor air quality. I prefer significantly sized plants in large containers rather than many small pots. It creates a dramatic impact while feeling sculptural rather than cluttered.”

Bean’s go-to shop is Bloomscape, which offers a range of simple pots, in muted hues, made of 80% recycled ocean plastic. There are handy wheeled saucers for larger plants, and bamboo stands that adjust to fit the pot.

Other great options in planters and stands:

Ideas for small spaces

Clever shapes, like a smooth-sided planter that can serve as a bookend on a shelf, can solve limited-space issues.

“It’s unique, interesting, and an especially innovative idea for anyone who lives in an apartment or smaller space,” Better Homes & Gardens lifestyle editor Jennifer Aldrich wrote recently in the magazine.

A sea-green, hand-glazed finish on Holistic Habitat’s Pita bookend planters gives them an artisanal look. And Urban Outfitters’ pair of bookend vessels also serves a dual purpose; the terracotta glaze gives them a nice look on a shelf.

Miijmoj Design turns a cantilevered oak board into a bookend, and adds a cylinder vase, which can be filled with an air plant or single stem.

Pedestal planters literally and figuratively elevate your greenery.

Tortuga Living has collaborated with Farrah Sit, founder of Light + Ladder studio, on the Platform Vessel collection. The concrete and stone terrazzo bowls and planters in various sizes were inspired by Bauhaus architecture’s geometric forms, and can be used indoors or out.

Chen-Yen Wei and Hung-Ming Chen’s Story Planter, a series of rising containers, can be paired with their Story Bookshelf so plants and books are showcased together in a vertical stack with a compact footprint.

“It was not an easy task, though it appears really simple,” Hung-Ming says in a studio mission statement. “We hope people see it as a quiet, functional sculpture.”

Or simply use a small tray table, like Smith & Hawken’s black steel-framed one with a removable wooden tray top.

Conversation Starters

Many planters are art pieces themselves. Jonathan Adler’s Muse Dora Maar planter was inspired by the French poet, painter and muse to Picasso. A modernist carved face encircles the cement vessel; filling it with a tumble of feathery ferns, or a tall slim tree, would add another dimension to the profile.

Midcentury-modern designer Arthur Umanoff’s 1961 rattan and steel planter might be a chic addition to a room with a similar aesthetic. And the warm, wavy texture would look wonderful in a contemporary boho-inspired or maximalist-themed space as well.

Textured or fluted ceramics, especially in a matte finish, can elevate even the most basic houseplant. You’ll find affordable options in Target’s Opalhouse and Project 62 collections.

At Lightology, Kenneth Cobonpue’s faceted, oxidized metal Boulders planters bring a masculine, midcentury vibe to the table.

Brittany Farinas, principal at Miami’s House of One design firm, has been exploring “botanical art,” like a preserved-moss wall in one recent project.

“There are endless possibilities when designing with preserved moss,” she says.

“Not only does it bring life and vibrancy to the home, but it acts as a conversational piece.”

Farinas worked on the moss feature wall with the team at Miami’s Plant the Future. The design studio also runs a shop offering wood forms like burled balls or driftwood troughs that can be filled with moss. The gnarled, weathered specimens with tufts of green peeking out of the crannies are natural objets d’art.

Wall planters are a fun way to play with houseplants. If you have a motley collection, popping them onto a wall can evoke an indoor jungle or conservatory vibe. If you go with a more curated assemblage –- say, cacti, succulents or one type of trailing vine — you’ll create an artsy, architectural look.

Holistic Habitat’s Romy wall planter collection features curvy cylinders of white ceramic, melding sculptural art with the greenery you place in them. Then there’s the Geo, with a slim circle of copper cradling the clay pot; it’s a living sconce.

Self-waterers

Swedish company Wetpot offers a self-watering pot that makes sure you don’t over- or underwater. A terracotta planter, available in two sizes for either a couple of smaller plants or, perhaps, a potted fern, sits inside a reservoir of hand-blown glass; fill the reservoir, and plants will take in what they need.

Eli Manekin of Loop Living has designed a thoughtful collection of self-watering planters that hang elegantly from the wall or ceiling on wooden rods, knobs or loops.

Flexibility

Arhaus’ Miramar pots conjoin a roomy bowl and a tall cylinder, so plants can be transferred from small first home to roomier digs as they grow.

A bar cart makes a clever plant table that can be moved around to catch the sun. Ferm Living’s slim, powder-coated steel planter box, a bestseller on 2Modern’s site, comes in hues like rose, gray and olive; filled with greenery, it could serve as a pretty room divider.

Hanging macrame planters have a ’70s vibe. Options available online include Hay’s cool Phanta hanger, in black, green or blue, and made of recycled material.

Or make your own. At www.kenarry.com you’ll find instructions for a simple structure that can be adapted to any size pot. At www.hellonest.co there’s a slightly fancier one, but it still uses just three knots. A video walks you through the process.

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Duct Pro is the right place for air vent cleaning in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada.

This press release was orginally distributed by ReleaseWire

Las Vegas, NV — (ReleaseWire) — 02/14/2022 — A good ventilation system can help keep the air in one’s home fresh and clean. Duct Pro is the right place where experts offer a range of services to help improve one’s air ventilation and one’s health.

Cleaning air vents is a common task for homeowners, but many don’t realize that this task can be equally important for their health and safety. Many homes don’t have an air vent fan. The absence of an air vent fan near the ceiling of the home or office means missing out on some serious opportunities for cleaning the air.

If the fan is not working correctly, there could be excessive noise. Sometimes, it could be due to air vents getting clogged with dust from particles, dust mites, and pollen. Unfortunately, dust is a significant cause of allergic diseases such as asthma, allergies, and hay fever.

Air vent cleaning in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada, can be an efficient, cost-effective way to cleanse mold and bacteria. Wood smoke from wood fires can also be a significant source of air-borne contaminants, so it’s essential to periodically clean the air vents in the home to prevent these harmful contaminants from finding their way into the house.

There are many different types of vent cleaning options available such as chemical and mechanical vent cleaning. The Duct Pro team helps clean the vent with the right cleaning product and technique.

The air vent cleaning process involves the vacuum sucking up all dust, dirt, and other materials inside the air vent. Next, the hoses are cleaned around the vent with hot water, using a carpet shampooer or a detergent. The process is quite simple, but the results are impressive!

For more information on air duct cleaning service in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada, visit https://duct-pro.com/air-duct-cleaning-las-vegas/.

Call (702) 588-9182 for details.

About Duct-Pro
Duct-Pro provides exceptional air duct cleaning services to ensure air quality & efficiency in the greater Las Vegas area.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/duct-pro-helps-improve-the-indoor-air-quality-with-air-vent-cleaning-in-henderson-and-las-vegas-nevada-1353159.htm

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Heat Pump Awareness Grows from Residential, Commercial Customers | 2022-02-14 | ACHR News

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A project to deploy 40 air quality sensors and particulate air (Hepa) filters at local businesses, community hubs and qualifying households in East Boston is the recipient of the City of Boston’s second round of funding in its Community Clean Air Grant programme.

 

The Neighbourhood of Affordable Housing (Noah) project receives $50,000 and will also use plants to raise awareness of the project and to help educate the community about the relative impact of plants and Hepa filters on indoor air quality.

 

Covid-19 recovery

 

The grant programme is a part of Boston’s equitable and sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding gives Boston residents and organisations the resources and tools to carry out community-driven projects that reduce emissions and bring short-term benefits to our neighbourhoods.

 

“With the funding from the City of Boston’s Community Clean Air grant, ‘B-Eastie Air conditions’ will measure air quality for families, schools, and frequented businesses in East Boston, and deploy Hepa air filters to clean their air,” said Phil Giffee, executive director of Noah.

 

“Our project will focus on both residents with asthma and racially diverse socio-economically stressed residents.”

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BROOKLYN, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Indoor air quality is often ranked by experts as a top environmental and health risk concern, and the professionals at Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc., a family-owned home service company serving Brooklyn and Manhattan for more than 100 years, say that homeowners should strive to maintain good ventilation when their homes are closed up during the winter months.

“Now that we’re in the final weeks of winter, most homeowners have had their homes closed up for months and the air quality is probably suffering,” said Michael Petri, owner of Petri Plumbing & Heating. “You may have noticed a musty odor or maybe you’re sneezing more. This can be due to poor indoor air quality. Luckily, there are some inexpensive things homeowners can do to improve the air they’re breathing.”

Petri suggested that homeowners follow these tips to breathe easier:

1.  Purchase an air purifier. Homeowners can opt to buy a portable model or consult with a professional to install a whole-home purifier. These work by trapping the offending particles and filtering and sanitizing the air before blowing it back into the room.

2.  Set out house plants. Plants consume the carbon dioxide that humans breath out and replace it with the oxygen humans breath in. Be careful, however, not to overwater plants because they can develop mold, which can cause other air quality issues.

3.  Crack a window. Not every winter day is freezing, so homeowners should keep an eye on the weather and try opening a window on days when the weather is a bit warmer and when the pollution level outside is at a lower level. Circulating outdoor air through the home can wipe away pollutants and other irritants.

4.  Change the air filters on the heating system regularly. Not only will this reduce pollutants in the air, it will keep the home’s HVAC or other heating system running smoothly.

5.  Maintain proper humidity levels. Humidity levels that are too high or too low can affect both overall health and comfort levels. Homeowners should try to maintain an indoor humidity level between 30-50%. If the indoor relative humidity goes above 60%, mold and mildew can begin to form. If the humidity level is too low, a whole-home humidifier can help add moisture to the air, while a dehumidifier or even some well-placed Boston ferns can help decrease the moisture level in a home with high humidity.

“COVID-19 has been on everyone’s mind for the past two years, and as a result, the health effects of poor air quality in general have become frequent topics of conservation,” Petri said. “Maintaining good IAQ during the winter months when your home is closed up has always been a good idea. It is healthier and will also make your home more comfortable.”

For more information about Petri Plumbing & Heating, or to schedule a service call, visit https://www.petriplumbing.com/ or call  (718) 717-1089.

About Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc. is a family owned and operated business serving Brooklyn and the New York City area. Founded in 1906, the company offers a 100 percent guarantee on all services, upfront pricing, and friendly and knowledgeable Service Experts for all kinds of home and business plumbing and heating needs. Services offered include water and gas pipe leak repair and installation, fixture installations, inspections, boiler repair, water heater installation, complete bathroom, kitchen, laundry & utility room remodeling and more. Petri is also licensed and certified by Green Plumbers USA, the first in New York City to receive this designation. For more information, please visit www.petriplumbing.com or call  (718) 717-1089.

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Jeremy Altman has been keeping a notebook since early 2020. It is filled with ideas and observations about how the pandemic has sparked new trends in his industry.

Altman, an architect with Architecture Incorporated in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, South Dakota, said much has changed over the past two years.

Some architectural ideas that were not as popular before the pandemic have since become top-of-mind for many businesses and school districts. Often they’re not big alterations, but changes that make working and learning indoors potentially healthier environments for employees and students.

Better ventilation

Take windows, for example. Altman said that pre-pandemic it was popular for some schools and businesses to go with non-opening windows because they were less expensive. Nowadays, however, many request the pricier windows that open in an effort to provide better ventilation.

Because COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, having better ventilation in enclosed spaces makes sense.

“We’ve always, as architects and even our engineers, placed high importance on indoor air quality,” Altman said. “The idea has been that we spend so much time indoors, but the air indoors is quite often worse than polluted air outside.

“Our idea has always been that the solution to pollution is dilution. That has been a catch phrase, that you produce some fresh air by diluting the polluted air indoors with some windows that are operable. Sometimes in the past we saw a bit of resistance to that. Not so anymore. People recognize that’s a good thing to have. It’s almost an auto-include (in projects) anymore.”

Other tools that provide better ventilation indoors include one on the mechanical side called the bipolar ionization system.

Altman, who works mostly with public schools, said the system has been popular in these learning environments but that other types of buildings also have adopted it. He said even some airplanes now use the filtering system.

“It’s a system by which air can be purified,” he said. “And, it is a relatively simple addition to either existing mechanical systems or to new ones.”

As for the price tag, that also is “relatively inexpensive,” Altman said.

More space to work

Something that’s been touted ever since the first cases of COVID-19 were detected was the importance of social distancing to help lessen the spread of the virus. This is something that Altman said he’s noticed schools – and some businesses – are paying attention to. In an effort to provide more distance learning for students, buildings have remodeled space. Businesses have learned to leverage the use of rooms.

“People have had to make use of storage areas, even if only temporarily for somebody’s office,” he said. “When they’re thinking about future spaces, they’re thinking about that flexibility – the ability for a space to serve multiple uses, which is something we’ve always kept in our minds as architects and designers, but now we’re seeing it come from the owner side as well, which is validation of what we’ve always believed.”

Flexible spaces are good options for schools and multi-use areas, and are projects he continues to work on with clients. Flexible classrooms, Altman said, which can be modified to accommodate distance learning, allows education to continue at the school instead of students having to take virtual classes

“That’s something we’ve been incorporating,” he said.

Some restaurants also have created more space for their customers. Altman said restaurants that had access to outdoor space or an area that they could use for overflow helped them stay afloat during the early stages of the pandemic. And since at this point the pandemic continues, many businesses are pushing for similar options.

“We’re seeing the same for some businesses,” he said. “Those that serve the public, they also need the flexibility to go outside or to accommodate more space between users. … Before the pandemic there was a focus on consumer behavior, but now there’s more focus on human behavior – such as what are people going to do, as opposed to how do we sell things to them? That’s been kind of interesting.”

New buildings 

Stephanie McDaniel, president and CEO of BWBR, a multidisciplinary architecture firm based in Minneapolis but which has projects in both the Dakotas and western Minnesota, has also seen trends in the architecture and design fields, some of them related to health care. As one example, she said hospitals are becoming more focused on outpatient care and less on inpatient care.

There is an effort to create specialty hospitals for instance, and putting these buildings in places that are convenient for patients. One trend is that health care organizations are developing ambulatory surgery centers away from their care campuses.

“It is certainly something we’ve seen for a while, but continues,” McDaniel said. “It allows them to focus on the acute care of their main campuses.”

BWBR has a number of projects in health care, public education, and other fields that McDaniel is excited about, including with Fargo Public Schools and its Explorer Academy at Lewis & Clark Elementary.

Additions there will serve students who benefit from specialized programs from the Disabilities Education Act. McDaniel said the Explorer Academy is a “school within a school” model, an extension of Lewis & Clark Elementary that allows students to develop not only their academic skills, but personal and social skills and behaviors that help them better transition into a general education setting.

“Behavioral health is certainly something that we’re really keen on helping our clients with, because it’s such a key issue for us as a society,” she said.

BWBR is focused on “human-centered safety,” McDaniel said, noting that among its many other features, there is secure access to the Explorer Academy. It also is designed in such a way as to meet the building’s student and teacher needs instead of being a cookie-cutter model.

“That’s a bit of a BWBR trademark, to focus on the needs of the students and teachers as the center of the design, she said, noting the company’s motto is to focus on “transforming lives through exceptional environments.”

Evolving challenges 

Trends in architecture and design stretch beyond the office setting to the home office. According to a December report by

Forbes

, 33% of designers noted “luxurious comfort as a big trend, with soft materials and shapes” used “to bring a sense of well-being.”

That makes sense when more people these days are working from home. “With more time at home, people are more sensitive to comfort and feel,” according to the article.

As for challenges in the industry, there are those, too. Trent Stone, owner of Stone Group Architects in Sioux Falls, said the biggest has to do with supply and demand.

“We’ve actually been asked to do a bunch of emergency response projects, COVID isolation units,” Stone said. But with a tightening supply chain, it’s been tough to get needed materials. “Salt Lake City, Omaha City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Sioux Falls, Fargo, Minneapolis – they all ask the same question: how quickly could we have a COVID isolation unit put together?”

Answer: Not quick enough.

“I would say the biggest trend that we’re seeing right now is just a slowdown of delivery of raw material and increased cost of raw materials and labor,” he said.

Stone also said his field, like other industries, has been impacted by workforce challenges.

“Finding good people is a challenge probably everywhere,” he said. “I think we’ll probably start to come back to a quasi-normal if we end up going back to a little more stable environment, but our industry right now is just swamped. Everybody and their brother is trying to do something. We’re pretty fortunate right now to be able to pick what projects we want instead of every one that comes in the door.”

As the pandemic continues to evolve, so do the architecture and design fields.

Altman, of Architecture Incorporated, shared his perspective on that: Sure, the current times have brought some challenges to his field, especially as it relates to the supply chain, but architecture remains not only his bread and butter, but his passion.

He keeps his notebook handy, ready to scribble down any new ideas or trends as they come along.

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