During the COVID-19 pandemic, many condos, co-ops and rental buildings in NYC restricted the entry of nannies, dog walkers, housekeepers, outside contractors, etc. to their properties, limiting access to residents and essential building staff only. As NYC and its surrounding regions begin to open up again, these workers will be returning to work - and buildings must follow social distancing and other mandatory guidelines.

 We know that the flood of coronavirus information can be a lot to take in, and in the months to come, the number of confirmed cases will likely grow - as will the likelihood of a carrier entering your building. So the time to develop a response to this situation is now. Property management companies throughout the United States are implementing a variety of measures to prepare for and combat a second wave of the virus. Technology will be a key tool in accelerating the process of fully reopening residential building common areas and amenity spaces safely. 

 Property managers will need to both enact and ensure compliance with social distancing rules, while continuing to disinfect surfaces and clean common areas. Beyond just informing residents, how does technology help a property manager mitigate the situation and get their property ready for re-opening? 

Touchless technology - including integrated digital CCTV, cameras, video intercoms, and access control devices - backed up by trained remote operators can be an enormous help to multifamily managers, boards, and residents, enabling an easier reopening by: 

• Regulating access for building staff, residents and visitors to lobby and common/amenity spaces 

• Providing contact tracing for staff, residents and visitors 

• Confirming that proper measures like face coverings, social distancing, and cleaning protocols are being adhered to

• Documenting cleaning schedules and ensuring social distancing and access control

 Millions of Americans are now confronted with new guidelines and restrictions in their buildings, and need a solution that accelerates the process of fully reopening common areas and amenity spaces. Remote doorman and security services can be part of that solution, and help ensure the health and safety of both your residents and building staff members as you navigate the reopening process and implement strategies around amenity spaces, deliveries, and visitors. An intelligent combination of technology and real people, scaled to your community’s unique needs can help everyone adhere to rules and guidelines and ensure compliance with CDC recommendations, cleaning schedules, and other measures that these unprecedented times demand. In addition to all that, integrating touchless technology into your building’s management and administrative matrix can help limit liability, reinforce the feeling of safety for residents, and strengthen new COVID reopening policies.

 This pandemic has felt like nothing short of an impossible futuristic scenario. While we don’t know what the post-pandemic future holds, we are certain that technology will end up being the superhero in this unimaginable drama. With the help of virtual technologies with real-world applications, property managers and boards will be able to inform and protect their residents, accelerate the process of fully reopening common areas and amenity spaces, and maybe get back to something a bit closer to normal a bit sooner.