Germany’s national obsession with Lüften, the art of airing rooms, was sometimes regarded as a quirk best kept to itself. Even in the bleak midwinter, windows would be flung open to let fresh air in. But then the coronavirus pandemic came along.

Although it was initially disputed that coronavirus spreads through the air, we now know differently. Up to 90 per cent of infections are passed on in this way, according to Julian Tang, a virologist and professor of respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester. And it seems the Germans were right all along: studies show that good ventilation works to minimise airborne virus transmission.

This holds several lessons for companies trying to bring staff back to the office safely, as the world edges back towards ‘normality’.