Hotels, and even some cruise ships, are installing state-of-the-art filtration systems that claim to tackle the coronavirus where it is believed to be the most dangerous: in the air.
When the coronavirus first hit, hotels quickly adopted enhanced cleaning polices, including germ-killing electrostatic spraying and ultraviolet light exposure in guest rooms and public areas.
But as research on virus spread has shifted focus from surface contact to airborne transmission, some hotels and cruise ships are scrubbing the very air travelers breathe with a variety of air filtration and treatment systems.
Some anti-viral HVAC systems feature germicidal ultraviolet light in the ductwork (the Food and Drug Administration states that ultraviolet-C lamps have been shown to inactivate the virus). Such a system was installed at The Distillery Inn in Carbondale, Colo., and includes a three-hour disinfection cycle between guests.