With the entire world on edge dealing with Coronavirus, many residents of gated communities are wondering what they and their gated community can do to fight Coronavirus. Living in a gated community means you are close to other people – it does say community right in the name after all. It can be tough to self-isolate, both because you are close to other people and because you are used to spending time with them, but here are a 5 tips for how you and your community can deal with this situation.

minimize social contact

This will vary by state and municipality, so the first thing to do is listen to your local officials. However, it has been advised by the CDC that groups be limited to 10 people or less. If your board meeting is coming up, consider doing it online instead. Also, it is best to stay 6 feet away from other people. If you have the option of working remotely from home, that is definitely something to take advantage of. Many restaurants are not open for dining in, but placing a delivery or to-go order helps keep a few more people working without breaking the social distancing guidelines.

cut down on high Traffic areas

Many gated communities have been closing down their gyms, pools, lobbies, dog parks and more in an attempt to cut down on high contact areas that people pass through. In guard gated communities, guards who are feeling ill have been advised to not come into work. Maintenance requests should also be limited to real emergencies to minimize the potential for cross exposure.

All common areas should be sanitized daily as the Coronavirus can survive for up to 3 days on a stainless steel surface. One high contact area many may not consider is the call box, so if possible your gated community should use a contact free solution like a clicker, card reader, or smartphone app. Your access control point is actually a choke point for the gated community, where everyone who comes in interacts with it.

stay active

Staying active in gated communities

With everything and everyone on lockdown, it can be easy to get lulled into a more lazy lifestyle. It is important to try and get outside (unless your locality is under a shelter-in-place order), while still being mindful of maintaining distance. If your community has private roads or walking trails, walking outside for 30-60 minutes every day is a great way to keep the blood flowing. There are tons of workouts you can do at home for all athletic levels, so don’t let the gym being closed be your excuse.

limit news intake

While it may be tempting to stay up to date with every last fact and development with Coronavirus, unless you are making public health choices for a chunk of people or the country, you don’t need to be constantly informed. Having the news on 24/7 will just lead to you being more stressed and anxious, and the situation is already stressful enough. Set a few times a day when you will allow yourself to tune into the news, but otherwise try to stay off of it.

stay connected

While it is still unknown how long these social distancing measures will be in place, it is important for gated community managers to stay connected with their residents with periodic updates online. It is also important for the residents to find ways to stay connected to each other and their friends while social distancing. Instead of sending a Facebook message, try picking up the phone. If you normally text or call, try a video chat instead. There have even been funny stories coming out of toddlers having video “meetings” with their friends to stay in touch.

While these are certainly stressful and uncertain times, there are a few things we can all do as individuals and gated communities can fight Coronavirus.

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