You’ve all seen the news stories. The empty shelves, the shutdowns, reduced store hours, and quarantine recommendations.
What is happening in the world currently is something that is absolutely unprecedented in human history, and is affecting everybody simultaneously.
COVID-19, or the coronavirus, is a rapidly growing virus and it seems inevitable that the spread will happen. It’s up to us to control the severity of this spread and flatten the curve. Living in a multifamily home, you are exposed to multiple people—your friends, your family, and your neighbours—and social distancing isn’t always possible, so here are a few ways to further manage the spread of coronavirus.
Steps Nautical At Summerside is Taking to Limit the Spread
We want to ensure that the tenants of our buildings are as safe and healthy as possible here in Edmonton. While there are steps we can take as individuals, there are additional steps that Nearctic/Village at Summerside are implementing, which as per our letter sent to tenants, including:
- As an extra precaution to our tenants, we have closed our gym until further notice.
- If we are informed of any positive cases in the building, we will immediately take any and all steps suggested and/or required by Alberta Health Services.
- Maintenance requests which involve entry into units will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure the health of all our tenants, as well as our valued maintenance workers.
We will also be restricting access to our on-site residential office as much as possible. Please contact us for any matters related to your tenancy before coming to the office.
Email maintenance requests to service@pelhammasterbuilder.com and please include in your maintenance request if you are self-isolating or have any symptoms.
Please refrain from coming to the office if you are feeling unwell or have recently returned from travelling.
As always, we remain committed to providing you with a safe, healthy, and beautiful place to call home. If you haven’t already, we ask that you update the Community Manager with your current email address and phone number.
We will continue to post update notices within our common areas for all of our tenants.
Personal Prevention and Management of COVID-19
There are multiple ways that we as individuals can prevent the spread of coronavirus, as well as steps that Village at Summerside/Nearctic is putting in place to ensure our homes are as hygienic as possible during this time.
1. Personal Hygiene
The first and foremost piece of advice to everybody is of course – wash your hands. The CDC has confirmed that when done properly, hand-washing can be more effective than hand sanitizer, so don’t worry if you can’t find sanitizer anywhere – the soap will do! Proper and regular handwashing is key.
Wherever possible, wear gloves. We know that a multifamily home has multiple hands-on surfaces each day, and by wearing either rubber or cloth gloves when interacting with doorknobs, elevator buttons, and other surfaces, you’re preventing the transmission of the possible virus, as well as preventing you catching it from somebody else.
We also recommend practicing social distancing as much as possible at this time. Social distancing includes maintaining six feet between you and another person and avoiding being in public unless absolutely necessary to pick up groceries, medications, or other essential outings. As often as possible, remain indoors to reduce spread.
2. Steps When Experiencing Symptoms
If you have a cough, fever, or any related symptoms, stay indoors and self-quarantine. If your family interacts with you, take preventative measures by quarantining your household to limit exposure.
3. Self-Quarantine
If you or somebody in your family believes they may have COVID-19, use all measures available to reduce all interactions with others – this includes self-quarantining for 14 days.
Here are a few tips to manage during the quarantine:
- Drink plenty of fluids and rest. Most people under the age of 60 will recover from the virus on their own, though there may be severe cases in younger people who are immunocompromised.
- Don’t go to the emergency room for testing, or for confirmation. If your symptoms are severe (severe symptoms include shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs, pneumonia, and difficulty breathing), call 811, or have a family member phone. If your symptoms are mild to moderate, it’s safer to assume you have COVID-19, and self-isolate. Confirmation is not necessary. It’s best to take all precautionary measures.
- Clean all surfaces in your household thoroughly to limit any further transmission. This includes door handles, handles on cupboards, shelves, all surfaces that hands come into contact with should be cleaned on a daily basis.
Taking Care Of Each Other
While COVID-19 may not present a serious case for younger people (children seem to be somewhat immune or show extremely mild symptoms), the people who will struggle the most will be the seniors. Additionally, due to all of the widespread panic buying, these seniors may not have had the chance to stock up on essential foods (though grocery stores across the country are now dedicating time for seniors to shop for their essential items in private). If you are not infected, consider taking care of your neighbours during this time.
The spread of COVID-19 has brought people together during this hard time. We are all looking to each other for strength. If you are certain that you’re not infected, make sure to check on your neighbours to see if they might need supplies, a warm meal, or even just someone to talk to. During these unsure times, being a good neighbour goes a long way.
Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared
While nobody could have predicted this, the most valuable takeaway here is preventative measures, as well as preparation. In any situation, it’s good to have two weeks of food and supplies on hand. If you have more than enough, consider checking on your neighbours.
The CDC has put out some great tips for managing mental health and anxiety during this time. If you have children, take into consideration they may be especially anxious during this time and look for ways to reassure them that this will pass. Remember to stick together (unless under quarantine), and know that we will all get through this together!
