Even though Governor Ducey’s stay-at-home order expired on Friday, May 15th, community associations should continue to take the appropriate measures to maintain a safe and healthy environment for their owners and guests. Below is a list of best practices we recommend that all community associations take, regardless of their size:
• Conduct extensive cleaning of common areas and common surfaces, such as elevator buttons, door handles, etc. Consider hiring a professional cleaning company to sanitize certain amenities on a regular basis.
• Install hand sanitizer or wipe dispensers (if an association is able to find these “hot” items) on common areas for use by owners and their guests, and refill the dispensers regularly.
• Encourage owners and guests to continue to abide by CDC guidelines regarding hand-washing, social distancing, face coverings, and avoiding individuals who are sick.
• Consider keeping certain common area amenities closed (e.g., pools, spas, courts), if social distancing guidelines cannot be met during their use, or if, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, keeping those amenities closed is a sensible decision in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.
• Communicate to owners regularly with updates regarding the impact the virus is having on association activities – including the possible postponement of meetings, closure or curtailed access to common areas, and steps taken to clean the common areas and shared surfaces.
More information on reopening association common areas can be found in our new Cheat Sheet titled, A Plan for Reopening of HOA and Condo Common Areas: CLICK HERE.
The CDC’s guide to cleaning and disinfecting can be found HERE.
