Stuttgart goes all-in in protecting schoolchildren from COVID-19

The city is testing all manner of solutions that can keep children safe and healthy over the next few months

Local authorities in Stuttgart want to continue their work on eliminating the risk of infection for students and teachers at the city’s schools. So far, officials have been successful in implementing a number of measures keeping everyone safe, but they do not plan to stop attempting to make things even better.

Air purification – a surefire way to reduce the risks of COVID-19

In order to improve safety at schools, Stuttgart’s local administration is currently examining the possibility of deploying air purifiers in educational establishments. Over the course of just a few weeks, the city’s school administration office examined the condition of the windows in 12,500 classrooms. Ten rooms in nine schools of different types were selected in which air purification devices are to be used.

The effectiveness of the filters is to be investigated together with the University of Stuttgart, with factors such as noise pollution, power consumption and possible hazards from the devices during operation and maintenance also set to play a role in the final report.

Stuttgart’s mayor for youth and education, Isabel Fezer, stated that “The spread of the coronavirus in the city as a whole is not reflected to the same extent in schools in Stuttgart. This is thanks to the measures taken and the consideration of the colleges and the students. We do everything we can to maintain the classroom teaching. But it would be wrong to believe that air purification devices could replace all other measures or be widely used in schools. If new, meaningful ways of protecting schools open up, we want to take them - if possible."

The experiment should provide a reliable and secure basis for deciding whether to use air purification devices in class. In the ten selected classrooms, the use of the air purification devices from various manufacturers will be tested under real conditions with the aim of finding out which models are suitable for use in different types of rooms.