According to the federal government, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. They can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). Some transmit easily from person to person while others do not. COVID-19 is a new disease that has not been previously identified in humans. Those with COVID-19 may have few to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu. Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19; they include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, and pneumonia in both lungs. In severe cases, infection can lead to death.

To understand the latest information on this disease, please see BC CDC About COVID-19

You can see what we were saying about the implications for housing co-ops early in the pandemic in the recordings we made in April and May:

Housing Co-ops and COVID-19: a Virtual Town Hall for CHF BC members on April 22, and Ask the Lawyers: A Virtual Town Hall for CHF BC members on May 6, on our YouTube page.

Provincial guidelines about preventing spread of COVID-19 change depending on the status of transmission. We recommend you check the latest information from the BC Centres for Disease Control about the latest guidelines.

When restrictions do ease, your co-op can use this questionnaire to ensure safety for contractors, employees and members needing to enter a member's unit, prior to entry.

Pre-screening assessment for unit entry

Question:
There is a lot of fear regarding COVID-19 and I am wondering what your guidance is regarding routine repairs and inspections with the co-op or outside contractors going into members' homes, especially with repair people who go all over the community and enhance the risk of community spread.

Answer:
Our advice at the moment is that co-ops should do whatever they can to be part of the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means limiting contact among people and practising social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

We canvassed the views of maintenance services including our own at COHO and the staff at BC Housing. They are providing maintenance and repair services to occupied homes only in emergency situations. All regular or routine maintenance is being restricted to vacant homes and common areas (interior and exterior). We think this is prudent in the circumstances and important for the protection of co-op members, staff and tradespeople. Of course there are always situations that call for judgement to be exercised. If, for example, a home is vacant because a member is away on vacation, it may be possible to have work done safely in the home while the member is away. That’s a decision for the board to make.

The board is charged with a special responsibility to act at all times in the best interests of the co-op. This sometimes calls for tough choices to be made. In the current situation, it is difficult for us to imagine that it’s in the co-op’s best interests to proceed with business as usual.

Co-ops may find the following useful:

• This COVID-19 Operations Manual from BC Housing has lots of good information and guidance that may apply to housing co-ops
• Letter-Ministry of Health letter to Social Sectors (March 18, 2020)
• Information for people who are self-isolating while awaiting test results for COVID-19 (March 3, 2020)
• Fraser Health – Information and downloadable material to help answer questions about COVID-19

CHF BC is working hard to maintain services during the COVID-19 pandemic while placing the highest priority on the health and safety of our staff, members and many partners.  Here’s the latest on what you can expect from our Group Buying programs as we work to “flatten the curve” and deliver value for your membership dues.

Appliances:

Trail Appliances has now closed all retail stores and outlets to protect the safety of their staff and clients. They are still able to provide curbside delivery but cannot offer haul-away service at this time. If your co-op has an emergency request, please contact Catherine Maxwell at cmaxwell@trailappliances.com. All other requests should go to aptreplacement@trailappliances.com.

Cabinets and Countertops:

Danube Kitchens, our cabinet and countertops partner on the Mainland, will still provide service on request, while respecting health and safety guidelines. If you have a request, please contact cabinets@chf.bc.ca.

Flooring:

Our flooring partners in the Lower Mainland, CD Contract and K&A Flooring, are both available for service on request, while respecting health and safety guidelines. On Vancouver Island,  co-ops can work with the Island Flooring Centre . For any flooring requests, please contact us at flooring@chf.bc.ca.

Maintenance Supplies:

Our partner RONA stores are still open and you can shop until 6:00 p.m. You can also shop online. If you need more information or to request a service, please contact Brad LeGrow at brad.legrow@rona.ca.

Telecom Program:

Our telecom program partner TELUS has let us know that their technicians will not enter units to upgrade wiring to fibre-optic. Regular internet speed upgrades and repair appointments are still happening with modifications for safety. You can visit TELUS.com/covid19 for the most up to date information on how they are supporting clients in this uncertain time. And for any members with questions, please contact us at telecom@chf.bc.ca.

Waste Management:

Our Waste and Recycling partners Waste Connections on the Mainland and GFL Environmental on the Island continue to provide all services with no interruption.

If you have additional questions about any of our Group Buying programs, including ways we can help your co-op access group buying services at this time, please contact Arnold Sang at asang@chf.bc.ca.

IT and Cybersecurity during COVID-19 (for coops)

Find great up-to-date posters you can display in your co-op here from:

BC Centres for Disease Control: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-professionals/clinical-resources/covid-19-care/signage-posters 

Infection Prevention and Control Canada: https://ipac-canada.org/posters-graphics-and-videos.php 

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: https://www.ccohs.ca/outbreaks/resources/