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Winter 2020   NJCOOPERATOR.COM  Wuhan, China.   Drawing on what we know about how tuberculosis—another   deadly airborne disease—is spread, Dr. Edward Nardel, an infec-  tious disease expert affiliated with Harvard University, suggested   recently in an interview for   The Harvard Gazette   that air condi-  tioning use across the southern U.S. may well be a factor in that   region’s surge of COVID-19 cases over the summer. But while   continued on page 14   A lot can be said about 2020, but this   was certainly a year that forced people   around the world to reexamine our pro-  cesses and protocols around health, safe-  ty, and security—not just personally, but   collectively, especially in our homes and   communities as we face a series of threats   novel to this generation. Not only is there   a potentially deadly virus rampaging   around the globe, but there is also uneasi-  ness in many American communities as   a result of spikes in crime, social unrest,   economic uncertainty, political upheaval,   and an ever-growing sense of COVID fa-  tigue.   Multifamily buildings and associations   like condos, co-ops, and HOAs must fac-  tor in multiple layers of protection and   communication as they face these chal-  lenges, taking into consideration their   particular size, structure, and systems;   their budgets and financial constraints;   their population and demographics; and   their existing policies. Rather than be-  come overwhelmed by all the variables,   savvy boards and managers are taking a   good look at the measures they have in   place to help protect their residents and   their properties, and are coming up with   a combination of cutting-edge technol-  ogy, increased manpower, innovative   training, and a dose of optimism—an es-  sential element to overcoming most any   challenge, be it virtual or viral, human or   environmental.   Accelerating Existing Plans  Much of the analysis of residential   communities’ response to the coronavirus   pandemic  has pointed  less to  a 180-de-  gree spin and more of a redirection that   was already underway for many. House-  holds moving away from dense urban ar-  COVID-19 has caused more far-ranging, persistent anxiety than any other event in   recent history. It has affected our jobs, our living situations, and the way we interact with   others, and it’s not done with us yet. Scientists and public health experts are still refining   their understanding of the way the virus spreads, but one thing they have determined   for certain is that the novel coronavirus spreads through the air—especially within en-  closed spaces—and does so far more easily indoors than outdoors or via surface contact.     “Outside is better than inside” has become a refrain among health experts. Depend-  ing on the climate where we live and the time of year, most of us can go outside safely   on most days. We can maintain social distancing to provide protection from infection.   We can wear a mask. But what happens when the weather is just too hot, or air quality   too poor, for outdoor activities or open windows? And what about now, as we enter   the winter season with temperatures dropping and rain and snow impeding our time   to safely open windows and stay outdoors? Among the seemingly endless questions we   all have about the virus is how it behaves in more or less enclosed spaces when heating,   ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is running to either heat or cool   those spaces.   HVAC and COVID-19  Transmission of the novel coronavirus is thought to happen mainly through large   droplets expelled from a carrier’s mouth and nose during coughing, sneezing, or talk-  ing. Evidence also suggests that at least some cases of COVID-19 occur via airborne   transmission. That happens when virus particles contained in smaller droplets don’t   quickly settle out and fall to the ground within six feet of the carrier who expelled them,   and instead hang in the air and drift around on currents—posing a threat to anyone   who happens to walk through one of those currents. Airborne transmission is thought   to have been a factor in the coronavirus’s spread among members of a vocal choir in   Washington state, through an apartment building in Hong Kong, and in a restaurant in   It’s a common bit for comedians and   TV sitcoms: making fun of the ‘condo   police’—those neighbors who take it   upon themselves to enforce the rules set   up by your condominium association or   co-op corporation to regulate communi-  ty living. They are sticklers for detail: Is   your mailbox at the right height? Do you   have contraband plantings in your flow-  erbeds? Are your window treatments ap-  proved in terms of both color and con-  figuration?  Funny or not (and depending on how   you feel about having to get approval to   repaint your shutters, it may not be), in   reality, co-ops and condos have rules—  lots of them—and for good reason. Suc-  cessful community living requires struc-  ture. Some regulations appear in your   governing documents—the bylaws, usu-  ally—while others are found in less for-  mal documents outlining ‘house rules.’   In any event, the question is how these   rules are enforced, and who does the en-  forcing.  Defining Rules & Regulations  Mark Hakim is an attorney special-  izing in co-op and condominium law   with the firm of Schwartz Sladkus Reich   Greenburg & Atlas, based in New York   City. “The house rules in a co-op or   condominium are rules and regulations   promulgated by the board, and amend-  ed from time to time,” he says. “They’re   intended for the general welfare of the   residents of the building. They include—  but are certainly not limited to—pets,   sublets, smoking, use of the hallways   and common areas, carpeting, windows,   plantings, noise, and other quality of life   matters.   “In co-ops, a breach of the house rules   is  generally  a breach  of  the proprietary   lease, permitting the board to treat it as   such,” Hakim continues. “In a condo-  minium,  one would  need  to  review  the   bylaws to see what rights the board may   have. In both, how each is drafted and   whether the lease and/or bylaws permit   fines will determine what the board may   do, short of drastic measures.”  “The board has the ability to make   Securing Air Quality in the   COVID-19 Era    HVAC, HEPA Filters, and UV Disinfection   BY A J SIDRANSKY  Examining Safety in   Multifamily Properties  How Communities Respond    to Today’s Threats  BY DARCEY GERSTEIN  Living by the Rules  Making—and Enforcing—  House Rules   BY A J SIDRANSKY  205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED  continued on page 18   continued on page 16


































































































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