Handley Regional Library System has taken several safety measures following guidelines established by the CDC, local health officials, and library-specific protocols regarding the use of materials, services, and building access to keep the staff and community safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Bowman Library, Clarke County Library, and Handley Library – in coordination with the efforts from their localities – have installed clean air technology to help neutralize and purify air inside the buildings, reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other harmful viruses.
Specifically, Handley Library and Bowman Library have new air systems from Atmos Air Solutions using Bi-Polar Ionization air cleaning proven to neutralize Coronavirus by 99.92%, both cleaning and decontaminating indoor air and surfaces. Atmos Air reports on the effectiveness of the air system in a laboratory report by Microchem Laboratory on their website at www.atmosair.com/coronavirus.
Clarke County Library has four Alen BreatheSmart HEPA Air Purifiers that trap viruses and purify the air. Research on Alen’s website explains how COVID-19 and other harmful particles are trapped, often removing over 99% of particles.
“Being a popular public destination and critical resource to the communities we serve, our goal is to make sure our building environments are as safe as possible,” says John Huddy, Director of Handley Regional Library System. “There has been a great deal of investment in air quality technology at all three library locations to help reduce the airborne spread of COVID-19 and other viruses inside the buildings. This is in addition to the extra deep-cleaning and sanitation processes regarding surfaces and materials. A special thank you to the localities – Clarke County, Winchester-City, and Frederick County – for working with us through the logistics, installation, and back-end work to help continue to make the library system a safe space to visit during the pandemic.”
For more information, contact the public relations department at mswain@handleyregional.org or visit www.handleyregional.org.