Feature
Easing COVID-19 Restrictions for Property Managers By Carola Mittag
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accination has revealed light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. But it’s not always easy to readjust to a new normal. Anxiety is driven by uncertainty. There is so much uncertainty right now, from the vaccine roll-out to society reopening to the new normal workplace to the virus and the variants themselves. Every day there is more evidence that vaccines keep us and people around us safe, but questions remain about how long immunity lasts and how susceptible certain segments of society remain to COVID-19.
owners and managers face pressures to scale back some of the efforts they’ve taken to contain the spread of COVID19 among their residents. At the same time, if reopening the economy renews the spread of the virus—which many health experts fear—housing providers should assume that residents who have been out in the community are likely to bring the virus with them, potentially exposing other residents to the virus and undoing much of the good that has been achieved.
Housing/property managers adopted many steps to stop the spread of the virus on their properties, including limiting on-site staff and closing public and common areas. Owners and managers must now decide how many of these measures to keep in place going forward. Pressure to open access to outdoor common and public areas—such as playgrounds, basketball courts, and similar amenities will be increasing. Some housing providers have taken steps to begin relaxing restrictions, like
So many people are emerging from the pandemic feeling exhausted, burned out, anxious, or depressed. Social anxiety is driven by avoidance, and we’ve all been avoiding social interactions for at least a year and a half. The psychological impact of reopening could affect residents who may already have other and unrelated anxieties and mental health issues.
Why reopening spurs anxiety for property managers Housing/property mangers will need to evaluate the policies they have implemented since the pandemic began and whether, and if appropriate, how those policies should change going forward. This could create a dilemna for property managers. On the one hand, as government moves to reopen the economy,
IHM News • Summer 2021
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