I've never heard the term "social distancing" before, but now it's everywhere. And its practice is critical to slow the spread of coronavirus. Where I am in New Jersey, schools are closed (I've already let Professor Elmo teach my 3 year old today), and no one is supposed to have large gatherings. Nationally, sports are on hold, Broadway is closed, concerts are being postponed, among many other things. Hopefully, this will all be a short blip.

Is your apartment community practicing social distancing? If you're not currently, unfortunately it looks like you probably will eventually, as more and more areas are asking that people self quarantine. Do you have a plan for your residents? Here are some suggestions.

Communicate with your residents. People need to know what's going on. If your area is requiring people to self quarantine, let your residents know. Also, let them know what's being done in the community in terms of cleaning procedures, who on staff will be able to be reached, how to pay rent, etc. For example, are maintenance workers only available for emergencies? These are things that are crucial for your renters to know.

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