Guidelines for Dealing With the Coronavirus Threat
All boards, landlords, and employers need to be thinking about issues relating to the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus. Residents and employees are concerned about the implications of this new virus and how it may affect their lives. The latest guidance on dealing with these issues can be found on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html), New York State Health Department (https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/), or New York City Department of Health (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/coronavirus.page). There are also posters available reminding everyone to use good health habits such as regular hand-washing.
One point that medical experts and the authorities are stressing is that people who may be suffering from coronavirus or any other communicable disease (including colds or the flu), or who are experiencing any symptoms, should stay home and not go to work. Employers should emphasize: If you are sick, you are expected to stay home, out of consideration for your colleagues and their families, and the community. This is a good time for employers to review their sick-leave policies and ensure that they don’t send the opposite message. Also, in the contexts of cooperatives, condominiums, and rental buildings, boards and owners may wish to begin considering how they would handle the potential effects on their buildings of residents’ being confined at home for long periods if there is a serious outbreak, even though everyone hopes this will never become necessary. Other organizations may also wish to plan ahead for the possibility of having to temporarily close their facilities during a disease outbreak and having employees work from home or curtail travel plans.