It might be the middle of a Tasmanian winter, but that doesn't stop Windermere Primary School in Hobart's northern suburbs from making the most of fresh outdoor air.
Principal Jarrod Williams said that, like all public schools in the state, Windermere has doors and windows open as much as possible.
There are air purifiers in all classrooms, in corridors and other spaces, and fans to help circulate outdoor air coming in.
"Every school's been given a CO2 monitor, and we use that to check the air quality and that allows us then to determine how many windows or doors we can or [don't need to] open if the weather's particularly windy or cool," Mr Williams said.
He said heating was still used, and students were encouraged to wear jumpers to school.
"Kids are pretty resilient and they've got used to a different way of working, as have our staff, as have our community," he said.
An Education Department spokeswoman said ventilation remained a "key strategy" in its COVID-safe schools plan, and it had taken advice from an occupational physician and occupational hygienist concerning ventilation.
While there are good examples of ventilation in schools and other places around Australia, the overall approach to indoor air quality is patchy, Professor Lidia Morawska said.
Dr Morawska is the director of the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health at the Queensland University of Technology.
"Ventilation is very important because by ventilation we are removing from the air particles which were generated by infectious people in the room," she said.
Dr Morawska said despite its importance, "we are paying very little attention" to it generally in Australia.
"In some states, there is more attention paid to this, in particular, Victoria is taking this quite seriously."
While opening a window is often the simplest way to improve indoor air quality, Dr Morawska said this was not always possible or practical.
"We need to supplement [natural ventilation] with mechanical ventilation and better ventilation systems," she said.
Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett said air movement and air replacement were particularly important.
"The most important difference now, particularly while we're in winter, is just being conscious of airing our homes, airing our workplaces, particularly when people aren't around trying to stay warm," Dr Bennett said.
She said the pandemic had highlighted the importance of ventilation.
"This is going to be something that's a shift now ... aged care will build new facilities in a very different way being mindful of this and I think business is the same.
"It's that upgrading of the ventilation that we have, but also new builds and other places will now have this as part of the infrastructure."
Infectious diseases expert professor Ben Marais from the University of Sydney said ventilation was important not only when it came to COVID, but also for transmission of other infectious diseases.
For COVID, he said the "most important line of defence we have is vaccination".
Call for indoor air quality standards
Dr Morawska takes a carbon dioxide monitor — similar to those used in Tasmanian schools — with her wherever she goes.
A high CO2 reading is a proxy for poor ventilation.
"There have been a number of places, a number of restaurants, for example, which already have good air quality," Dr Morawska said.
"In many other restaurants or venues, there is a problem."
Tasmanian Greens health spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said the state government "at a minimum" should provide financial incentives for small businesses to improve ventilation and air quality.
Dr Woodruff — who is also an epidemiologist — said pure air and mask-wearing were critical in dealing with viruses like COVID-19.
"It can allow people with all different health vulnerabilities to be in the community together," she said.
"Every school classroom should have a standard, [in] every hospital waiting room there should be a standard, and there should be checks done. We need audits of spaces, we need to create a small industry, essentially, in air purification in Tasmania and Australia."
A Tasmanian Public Health spokesman said guidance on best practice ventilation had been given to workplaces "in the context of the current COVID-19 environment".
"This includes bringing in fresh air, consulting professionals about improving ventilation in buildings, and avoiding using only recirculated air in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems," he said.
"Public Health is not currently considering mandates related to these guidelines, however constantly reviews expert and national guidance on best practice."
Dr Morawska is also advocating for mandated indoor air quality standards.
She said it would be more complicated to regulate indoor air quality than it was to regulate outdoor air quality — while each state has an environmental authority responsible for outdoor air quality, responsibility for buildings is varied.
It also requires more monitoring, but Dr Morawska said the technology was available to do this.
She said improving indoor air quality was an investment that can help protect people from future epidemics.
Spending more time outdoors
Part of the Tasmanian Education Department's response to COVID-19 also includes improving and using outdoor learning spaces.
"We're building an outdoor learning space tied to our kitchen garden area," Mr Williams said.
He said teachers had quickly adapted to moving some class activities outdoors.
"What is really interesting is that our kids really engage with that outdoor learning and that different style of learning as well, so it's been a win-win."
More information on managing the risks of COVID-19 can be found on the Tasmanian government's coronavirus website.
