On the trail of Sars-CoV-2 in cable cars

Aerodynamics in the cabin: At the windows, an expert measures airflow using air pressure sensors. Image: Streamwise GmbH - Where do the greatest risks of infection lurk? How can you protect yourself and others even better? Scientists all over the world are working to expand knowledge about Covid-19 - including at Empa. Researchers are now using measurements and simulations to take a close look at cable cars and cabins in ski resorts. Covid-19 is difficult to assess, and complex mathematical models to quantify infection risks are ultimately attempts to approximate reality - also in the case of ski resorts and the many people who hang out on the ski slopes. This is why a team led by Ivan Lunati of Empa's Multiscale Studies in Building Physics lab began its work in precisely this reality: in the cable cars and cabins of the Engelberg-Trübsee-Titlis ski resort. To explore the air exchange factor, which is known to play an important role in the spread of pathogens, the researchers conducted on-site measurements. They examined three types of cabins: a smaller one called Omega 3 with a volume of just over five cubic meters for a maximum of eight passengers and two larger cabins with space for 80 and 77 people, respectively, and a volume of just under 40 and just under 50 cubic meters.