The most important and ongoing component
of any plan is preventing the spread within
your community to begin with.
Employee and Resident
Communication is Key to
Multifamily Settings commonly touched elements (door handles,
elevator buttons, etc.) and placing hand
sanitizers in common areas and fi tness
centers.
Accurate, timely and regular
communications with employees, residents,
suppliers and even the media are critical.
Make sure you have all available contact
information for your staff , residents and
suppliers (cell, e-mail, etc.), and develop
alternative ways to disseminate information
(corporate web sites, app-based notifi cations,
text messaging, etc.) in case contact is
disrupted.
Staff should be instructed to inform fi rms
if they know they have been exposed to the
virus or are exhibiting symptoms of infection.
They should also inform employers if they
have a household member with a particular
vulnerability to the virus, such as a weakened
immune system, that may require them to
have more protections from infection.
The most common communications will
concern prevention practices, changes in
offi ce policies (telecommuting policy or sick
time) and resident communications. Certain
resident policies will need to be adjusted,
such as transitioning to an emergency-only
maintenance policy.
Some apartment fi rms have pushed out
information on COVID-19 to residents
and others may choose to do so in the near
future. All fi rms are encouraged to post CDC
resources in public areas to make residents
and employees aware of the facts surrounding
COVID-19 and ways they can help prevent its
spread. Educational resources from the CDC
can be found at https://bit.ly/2VTGBFr. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) released a list of EPA-registered disinfectant
products that have qualifi ed for use against
SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes
COVID-19. Products appearing on EPA’s list
registered disinfectant products have qualifi ed
for use against COVID-19 through the agency’s
Emerging Viral Pathogen program.
This program allows product manufacturers
to provide EPA with data, even in advance of an
outbreak, that shows their products are eff ective
against harder-to-kill viruses than SARS-CoV-2.
It also allows additional communications intended
to inform the public about the utility of these
products against the emerging pathogen in the
most expeditious manner. To view the list of EPA-
registered disinfectant products, please visit the
EPA website.
Establishing Protocol for
employee leave, telework and
travel policies
A severe outbreak could cause
transportation, education or other service
disruptions which could lead to employee
absenteeism at apartment communities, due to
infection, fear of infection or the need to care
for aff ected family members.
Apartment fi rms should develop
an employee leave policy that includes
telecommuting, staggered schedules and
liberal leave. Firms should establish protocol
for employee/supervisor communication,
cross-train staff in case of long-term absences
and test telecommuting plans to ensure they
work.
In the end, apartment operators should
remain fl exible and encourage employees to
stay home when they are sick or need to care
for a family member that may be aff ected by
the outbreak.
It is also best to consult with counsel on
any federal, state or local legal requirements
or regulations about mandating employees
work during an outbreak or take leave without
pay.
Employees of multifamily fi rms often
travel to fulfi ll their responsibilities of
their jobs. These can range from industry
conferences, site visits, regional planning
meetings to development or investment
meetings. Firms should carefully review
existing travel obligations and consider
reducing, restricting or modifying employee
travel commitments to protect their workforce.
To aid in this, fi rms should continue to
monitor the CDC’s travel restrictions and
guidance.
Crafting a plan for potential
lapse in services and supplies
With the potential loss of staff and on-site
personnel, most apartment communities
will need to scale back or curtail services. It
may be necessary to implement online only
leasing and prioritize online rent payment.
Preventing the spread of
COVID-19 in multifamily
Communities
Clearly the most important and ongoing
component of any plan is preventing the
spread within your community to begin with.
Everyone is now familiar with the “common
sense” approach to infection control—
practicing proper cough etiquette, washing
your hands frequently and staying home if
you are sick. Yet, apartment operators should
adopt enterprise wide practices to protect
their communities as much as possible.
A strong focus by staff should be placed
on sanitizing work areas, public places and
16 | TRENDS APRIL 2020
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