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Easing COVID-19 Restrictions for Property Managers
By Carola Mittag
Vaccination 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.
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, 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
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.
scheduling appointments to use common and public areas. Among problems to consider is “crowd creep”—if common areas are opened with a limit of four users, why not six or eight? Some owners may decide that keeping flat prohibitions on using public and common spaces is easier than policing residents’ usage.
Housing providers took strong action to fight the virus including more intensive cleaning and disinfecting, and urgentonly maintenance practices. Since there is no evidence the virus will disappear on its own, housing providers should maintain active schedules for cleaning and disinfecting common and public areas, including all surfaces (door handles, elevator buttons, railings, etc.) that residents and staff come in contact with.
Where they have been adopted, policies to restrict visitors should be evaluated for effectiveness and consistency. Especially in projects with a large population of elderly residents, housing providers should discourage unnecessary visits by persons who may introduce the virus. Emergency-only maintenance protocols must also be re-assessed: a “non-urgent” maintenance issue two months ago may be urgent today, and housing providers should not encourage DIY solutions that may actually intensify maintenance problems or result in personal injury or property damage. Personal protective equipment—masks, gloves, etc.—must continue to be mandatory for making both residents and maintenance staff more comfortable with in-unit maintenance operations.
It is especially important to keep staff and residents informed. Regular updates are the best way to dispel rumors and unnecessary fears. A proactive communications policy will bolster confidence that management is aware of new developments, understands everyReopening housing will involve at least as much planning and forethought as the initial shutdown demanded. Housing providers must understand that, because the virus will still be around indefinitely, they will need to factor it into the risk matrix of their business and property management operations over the long-term. Evaluating what has been done to date, making practical plans for reopening, and communicating those plans to staff and residents, will pay off in the future. Nothing instills confidence like the knowledge that property managers are thinking ahead proactively and preventatively.
Carola Mittag, former owner of Workplace Safety Group and now adviser to Mentor Safety Consultants Inc. MSCI has developed auditing tools to ensure that facilities and property managers meet all legislative health and safety compliance requirements. Email Carola at wpsgceo@gmail.com u
