Saint Mary's University of Minnesota has added another tool to it's preparations for the coming school year against the COVID-19 pandemic: an air purification system to be installed in residence hall rooms and large spaces.

The new systems were recently installed at both the Winona and Twin Cities campuses, a release issued on the university's website said. The university has installed 860 Delos air purification devices in each sleeping room at the Winona campus, as well as airPHX units in large community spaces at both campuses.

While the systems had been discussed before the pandemic as a measure to help assure the health and wellness of students, they are even more relevant now due to their effectiveness at removing viruses from the air, the release said.

“Our students’ health and well-being are at the center of all we do, now more than ever before,” the Rev. James P. Burns, president of Saint Mary’s, said in the release. “We’re excited to integrate these systems to help take our health and safety protocols to the next level, especially as we prepare to welcome students back to campus this fall.”