The Ypsilanti District Library will install new air purification systems at their Whittaker Road and Michigan Avenue branches that will eventually allow for in-person visits during the pandemic.
The library has purchased two Needlepoint Bi-Polar Ionization systems that safely clean indoor air and surfaces by releasing high concentrations of ions into the air stream through ventilation systems. The process deactivates harmful substances like airborne mold, bacteria, and viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19. Library Director Lisa Hoenig says the library still plans to enforce other safety measures once they reopen their doors.
Lisa Hoenig: We would require people to wear masks, we would require social distancing, we would be using a lot of disinfection kind of protocols with things like computers and other kinds of shared items.
The new air purification systems could be installed by the end of the month, but Hoenig says the library wants to wait until Washtenaw County sees a steady decrease in COVID-19 cases before they reopen their doors to the public. For more information on the air purification systems, or to make a donation to help the library pay for the systems, click here. Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
