“Large malls” in New York won’t be allowed to reopen until they install air-infiltration systems that block coronavirus particles, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday.
“There are HEPA filters — which are high-efficiency particle air filters — that can actually filter out the COVID virus,” Cuomo said at a press briefing.
“The COVID virus is .1 microns. There are HEPA filters that can filter out .01. So any malls that will open in New York, large malls, we will make it mandatory that they have air-filtration systems that can filter out the COVID virus,” he said.
“We have been looking at this issue because you look around the country, you see malls, you see air-conditioning systems, indoor space that have been problematic, and we think this offers promise,” the governor added.
Cuomo did not say when the big malls would be allowed to reopen even with the air-infiltration systems.
A mall-industry source later told The Post, “From what we can tell, no mall owners have these systems in place.
“We have other types of [air-filtering] systems that are used” the source said, adding that it’s unclear as to the potential cost of the new state mandate “because this is something that just got sprung today” by Cuomo.
“I have not heard of these systems being used in regular commercial buildings,” the source added of the special air filters, which Cuomo said have been studied by NASA.