Rapid Spread Of COVID-19 In Schools Shows Need For Urgent Protective Measures

With COVID-19 impacting at least 250 schools and early childhood centres, the Ministry of Education needs to take urgent action to protect children and teachers, says indoor air safety technology expert Big Blue.

“Now, more than ever, the Ministry of Education should be installing world leading air safety technology to ensure classrooms are as safe as possible for our children,” said Big Blue Managing Director Paul Wiggans.

“These numbers are alarming and are bound to increase rapidly from here if today’s record overall case numbers are anything to go by.

“The more children who have to go home to isolate, the more parents will have to juggle family and work - that has real social and economic impacts in our communities and workplaces.

“In our view, the Ministry’s response to date to supply only 500 air filter units to some schools in March and more apparently arriving in June this year just isn’t good enough. These units aren’t even that effective when it comes to combating airborne viral transmission - CDC infection control guidelines show that even at eight air changes an hour it would take an air filter 35 minutes to reduce contaminants by 99%. ActivePure Technology is different because it operates in the air around you so is not reliant on air filtration.

“It’s clear the Ministry needs to take urgent action, reset and invest now to protect our kids, teachers, and wider communities. We had raised this with the Ministry back in July last year. It’s clear we need to do a far better job when the technology is readily available.”

Big Blue is the exclusive New Zealand supplier of ActivePure indoor air safety units, technology originally developed by NASA and proven to actively combat pathogens in the air and on surfaces, including specific testing against the virus that causes COVID-19, rather than relying on passive air filtration, providing greater protection in indoor spaces.

“We could supply 1,500 ActivePure units today to the Ministry of Education if we got the green light, and enough for every classroom in New Zealand by mid-April.

“These are already used widely in New Zealand by other government agencies, public and private hospitals, and a wide range of businesses and organisations. Right now ActivePure units are protecting one of our Super Rugby teams in Queenstown and our Olympic athletes in Beijing.

“If it’s good enough for professional athletes, hospitals, offices, hotels, and many others, why are we not using this proven world leading technology to protect our most precious asset, our tamariki?

“New Zealand children deserve better, and we stand ready to support the Ministry of Education to give our schools and our children the protection they need at this critical time,” said Paul Wiggans.

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