---
title: "Op/ed: How to Stop Superspreader Events Without Masks"
date: 2022-04-21T16:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/op-ed-how-to-stop-superspreader-events-without-masks"
section: Articles
---
# Op/ed: How to Stop Superspreader Events Without Masks

*April 21, 2022* — by [Donald K. Milton, Edward A. Nardell and David Michaels](/author/donald-k-milton-edward-a-nardell-and-david-michaels)


> Germicidal Ultraviolet Light Can Kill Airborne Viruses Indoors Before They Infect, Public Health Researchers Say

*Shutterstock 1678636204 1920x1080 — Installing equipment to kill airborne respiratory viruses with UV light before they cause infections can make mask-free indoor gatherings safer, according to a new essay in The New York Times by a UMD public health expert and colleagues.*

*Since the pandemic began, COVID-19 superspreader events have engulfed* [*jails*](https://www.poynter.org/newsletters/2020/jails-and-prisons-are-superspreaders-that-need-journalistic-attention-during-the-pandemic/)*,* [*political rallies*](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/31/coronavirus-trump-campaign-rallies-led-to-30000-cases-stanford-researchers-say.html) *and* [*Mardi Gras festivities*](https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2021/20210729-andersen-covid19-nola.html)*; scores of Washington’s elite gathered at the venerable Gridiron Club Dinner were infected earlier this month, including the speaker of the House and Cabinet members.*

*Virus-plagued public events needn’t be part of our collective future, according to a new op/ed in The New York Times by airborne infectious disease experts Donald Milton, a University of Maryland professor of environmental health, Edward Nardell of Harvard University and David Michaels of George Washington University.*

There’s a better way to hold indoor events without masks, and it doesn’t rely on vaccines and rapid tests. Vaccinations can prevent the worst possible outcomes of COVID-19, but cannot always prevent infections. Pre-event testing is imperfect and to be most effective, people need to test right before entering an event.

Putting this much of the onus of infection control on individuals is both unlikely to work well to prevent superspreading and also lets hosts of large events off the hook for keeping their attendees, workers and others safe. Instead, there are ways that building owners can make indoor environments safer by disinfecting indoor air. One of the best technologies to do so—germicidal ultraviolet light—has been studied for decades and can now be used safely.

*Read* [*the rest*](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/opinion/superspreader-events-disinfect-air.html) *in The New York Times.*




**Topics:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research)


**Units:** [School of Public Health](https://today.umd.edu/topic/school-public-health)