COVID-19 cases are rising, along with temperatures in the southern and western states. Air conditioning provides relief from the oppressive heat, but does it also spread the virus? Experts have different answers to that question, but they agree that the AC in your own home is likely safer than in public places, especially in businesses such as restaurants where you may linger over a meal.

According to Health, a study published in April showed that nine people in a restaurant in Wuhan, China, were infected with the virus as a result of sitting next to an air conditioning vent. According to researchers, one asymptomatic person was seated by the vent and four people at his table tested positive for COVID-19, along with five diners at nearby tables.

Manish Butte, Ph.D, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angles, told Health that when an AC vent is turned on, airflow can push tiny infectious droplets through the air and onto people.

"The airflow direction is what matters," he said, adding that air conditioning can definitely make these droplets spread farther.

According to NBC News, other infectious disease experts say that the risk is low, and that the restaurant incident in China appears to be an isolated case. However, they do warn that the risk is greater if you spend more time in the proximity of others.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told NBC News: "I haven't seen any strong evidence that we're seeing that this is transmitted in an airborne manner. This is primarily spreading from droplets that go from one person directly to another person."

Other experts agree and said that with proper ventilation, coronavirus transmission shouldn't be an issue. They pointed out that in the case of the Chinese eatery, the ventilation probably wasn't up to American standards.

In fact, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers said that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning may actually slow down the spread of the virus, according to NBC News.

In a statement published in April, the group wrote: "Ventilation and filtration provided by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems can reduce the airborne concentration of SARS-CoV-2 and thus reduce the risk of transmission through the air."