Puerto Rico Leads urges nonprofits to apply for funds to eliminate COVID-19 in shared air
In the midst of a sustained increase in positive cases for COVID-19 that may herald a new rebound on the island, the Puerto Rico Leads Las Américas foundation, which advocates for access to safe and pathogen-free air, called out to nonprofits to apply for funds to combat airborne pathogens.
The Assistance Program for Nonprofit Organizations funding program, whose application period is set to expire April 25, is run through the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF, in Spanish), could grant up to $500,000 for improvements, reimbursements and essential services to the population as they struggle with the impact of the pandemic.
This is aid assigned through the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund.
Nelson Traverso, director of the foundation and the only Hispanic member of the United States Independent Air Sharing Strategic Research Board, said “this is an excellent opportunity to outline investment projects in infrastructure that consider indoor air health as a measure to eliminate airborne pathogens such as COVID-19.”
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have pointed out the importance of implementing strategies that apply state-of-the-art technologies that can eliminate COVID in the air,” he said. “We already have instruments capable of measuring air quality and indicating the number of pathogens present in certain spaces, which makes it easier for us to diagnose solutions to attack them.”
“These funds make available to those who serve the most vulnerable communities a unique opportunity to equip them with tools that develop resilient infrastructures capable of facing both COVID and other airborne viruses that we currently live with (such as influenza or mycoplasma). or any that may arise in the future,” Traverso said.
The expert on issues of air quality treatment and protection also urged the development of environmental and infrastructure projects that can be complemented with traditional protection and prevention measures to achieve a greater impact on the community.
