{"id":27897,"date":"2020-07-31T12:02:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T16:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philip.greenspun.com\/blog\/?p=27897"},"modified":"2020-07-23T22:27:20","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T02:27:20","slug":"build-downdraft-paint-booths-for-k-12-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philip.greenspun.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/31\/build-downdraft-paint-booths-for-k-12-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Build downdraft paint booths for K-12 schools?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unionized American school teachers refuse to work unless they can be guaranteed not to get coronaplague from the students. Words are not going to soothe these concerned souls. “School closures \u2018a mistake\u2019 as no teachers infected in classroom”<\/a> (Times <\/em>of London, July 22):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists are yet to find a single confirmed case of a teacher catching coronavirus from a pupil anywhere in the world, a leading epidemiologist has said.<\/p>

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Edinburgh University, offered reassurance to staff preparing for the full reopening of schools next month.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I predict that this won’t result in a single American school opening up for business as usual. Zero cases is one case too many!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Americans apparently did not like my previous pet idea: “Plague-proof Florida and Texas with shaded outdoor classrooms?”<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it is time for another pet idea! This one comes from the world of aircraft and automobile painting: pull student exhaust air down through the classroom floor. The technology for downdraft paint booths is highly advanced (example<\/a>). They have been built large enough to paint a Gulfstream. Below are a couple of photos from West Star Aviation<\/a>, which paints some very big airplanes indeed. At right is your humble author next to some of the air filters, against which coronavirus would stand no chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n