Status quo is prevailing, but some companies, employees, residents cheer the Governor’s decision.

The announcement this week by Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifting the state’s requirement that its citizens wear masks in public has Texas apartment operators split over whether to change their mask protocols for employees and residents.

Property management professionals’ emotions have ranged from “loud cheers in the corporate office” to “relief and gratitude” from staff members; while for others, creating a still greater fear about the health consequences could be caused by Abbott’s decision.

Those making adjustments will put them in place immediately or next week. Others are in a wait-and-see mode while the continue to recover from the state’s late-February freeze.

Gina Y. Erwin, President, GWR Management, Houston, said, “We literally just sent an email out today to our teams telling them that we will no longer require masks of employees and that they can remove the signs from the doors as of next Wednesday. Of course, we certainly will allow staff members to wear masks if they feel more comfortable by doing so. Most are thrilled.

“We watched the announcement live at our corporate office and I could hear cheers down the hall. There are few in the field who expressed concerns, and will continue to wear masks, but overall, the majority are happy to have their smiles paroled.”

Prior to this, GWR mandated masks at every property. Staff were required to wear masks at all times while in the office and while in occupied apartments.

“As long as they could maintain 6-foot distances from others while outside, they were not required to wear masks,” Erwin said. “We also required all guests, residents and customers to put on a mask before entering our leasing offices and we posted mask-wearing signs on every entry point.”

For inside common areas, GWR posted signs that essentially put the onus on residents for taking “safe steps” about the pandemic, Erwin said, including keeping safe distances, wearing masks and only allowing a certain number of people inside depending on size and capacity.

Pools and outside common areas had the same restrictions as far as capacity and distancing, but no masks required.

David Mintz, Vice President of Government Affairs, Texas Apartment Association (TAA), said of the Governor’s Executive Order, “Apartment communities and other businesses can determine what policies regarding masks and the use of amenities are best for their residents and employees. TAA will continue sharing best practices and other guidance on steps property owners can take to help reduce spread of the virus.”

‘Mask Up’

Camden will continue to require its team members and anyone entering our offices to wear face-coverings. And effective March 10, all amenity spaces will resume standard occupancy requirements for each area. Face-coverings will remain a requirement for indoor amenity spaces and elevators.

This [mask-wearing] is consistent with the advice of health professionals and guidelines from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC), Camden’s Vice President of Marketing Julie Keel said.

Camden’s company memorandum sent this week states, “While we know many of you are excited about the changes, please understand not all are comfortable being around others in close proximity, not wearing face-coverings. We strongly encourage face-coverings to be worn throughout the community and to continue with social distancing.”

Thus far, Keel said, “It’s being received favorably by the majority of our residents.”

John Boriak, President, Veritas Equity Management, Tomball, Texas, said his company is still sorting through rental assistance programs and storm recovery [from the late February freeze] and hasn’t given this new mask development a lot of thought yet.

“Internally we are excited, and feel like it’s confirmation that we are headed in the right direction when it comes to recovering from this pandemic,” Boriak said. “We will probably still request that team members who are interacting with residents – such as maintenance techs when going into homes and office staff when speaking with residents -- wear masks until Harris County gets out of ‘threat level red.’ But beyond that, we’ll just ask team members to respect the wishes of others who still choose to wear masks (and reciprocate when around them) but won’t have any requirements beyond that.”

‘Our Property. Our Rules.’

Some observers are suggesting that lifting the mask mandate could deter prospects, especially those who live out of market in states that require masks from touring properties that do not require masks – virtual tours or not. Like many things that have occurred since the pandemic began last March, the Blue State vs. Red State debate applies again.

Tabulating responses on a Facebook group where the question was posted, the reply “No change. Mask up!” received 30+ “likes.” Another posted. “No changes. Our property. Our rules.”

Another wrote that their company is updating its policies to be “open” as it was pre-pandemic, “but we are still requiring masks for all until ‘further notice,’ the post read, which will likely be until the end of April, depending on whether cases increase or decrease.”

Christy Rodriguez, Director of Multi-Family, Judwin Properties, Inc, Houston, said her company is not changing its protocols at this time. “Masks and social distancing guidelines are still in place and will be for at least the next 30 days,” Rodriguez said.

“Several team members expressed a sense of relief and gratitude. One mentioned that, due to her current health condition and autoimmune deficiency, she felt a sense of relief and wanted me to personally thank ownership for this decision.

“Another mentioned that her residents are accustomed to doing business in our offices and maintenance technicians in their apartments with masks and social distancing, and that she didn’t foresee any issues with us not changing our requirements. She believed that her residents would be more satisfied with the decision and it would make the customer service experience better.

Rodriguez said she has not received any feedback from team members stating that they were dissatisfied with the decision to maintain current protocols. “However, I do foresee a state divided on this topic for the foreseeable weeks,” she added.

The Virtual Tour Alternative

Shelley Watson, Executive Vice President of Operations, Morgan Group, Houston, said her company is taking a conservative approach and is requiring teams to wear masks when in the office interacting with each other and residents, and when entering residents’ apartments or while conducting a property tour.

“We have received positive feedback today from our team members about this,” Watson said. “Most have experienced being short-staffed due to COVID-19 illnesses or quarantines and are supportive of wearing a mask.”

Morgan Group also will continue to require prospects to wear masks while on tours (if they do not want to wear a mask, then our teams can invite prospects the option for a virtual tour).

Offering prospects to virtual tours was the default response by several when it came to prospects who choose not to wear masks.

To that, on Facebook, a person from Florida said her state has never had mandates, and the Florida governor left policy setting up to the Counties. As a default, she wrote, many businesses have followed CDC guidelines. Other businesses do not require customers to wear masks. And in some counties that require one, she added, customers or merchants are ignoring the mandate.

Another wrote, “I don’t envy the position of Texas members. If it were me, [revisiting COVID-19 challenges] would be the last thing I would want to start dealing with again.”

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday that Starbucks, CVS, Hyatt Hotels and Target are among companies that will still mandate masks in Texas despite Abbott’s announcement. While fitness company Life Time and grocer Albertson’s will drop their mask mandates.

Political Fallout

Florida and South Dakota are two states that have not required mask-wearing during the pandemic. Iowa lifted its mask-wearing mandate in February, Mississippi this week relaxed its mandate and Alabama is reportedly doing the same as soon as Friday.

On a LinkedIn discussion thread, one commenter wrote, “Sadly, businesses will now be forced into confrontations with customers if they try to self-impose. Texas has had a sect of its population that has been adamant and sometimes violent over the requirement to wear masks (even when mandated).

“This decision was made too soon, for sure, she wrote, as [12.5 percent] of the Texas population had received at least one shot of the vaccine [as of Tuesday, according to the CDC].”

More than 43,000 Texans have died of Covid-19. The state has logged about 6,600 new cases in the past week, an increase from mid-February, but a significant decrease from January, WSJ reports. In Texas, only healthcare workers, people over 65 years old and adults with pre-existing conditions are eligible for the vaccines.

President Joe Biden weighed in the day after Abbott’s decision, calling the decision “Neanderthal thinking.”

Kate Good, Principal, Hunington Properties, Houston, said, “We all have the intelligence to know that Covid is still contagious and a real threat. I appreciate that my government allows me to make my own decisions for myself and my company. We are not ‘Neanderthals.’ We are responsible thinkers. Besides, Abbott did not ban masks, he just said that citizens and business owners should make decisions for themselves, families and businesses.”

Abbott’s spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement that Abbott “was clear in telling Texans that COVID hasn’t ended, and that all Texans should follow medical advice and safe practices to continue containing COVID.”

“It is clear from the recoveries, the vaccinations, the reduced hospitalizations, and the safe practices that Texans are using, that state mandates are no longer needed. We must now do more to restore livelihoods and normalcy for Texans,” Eze said. “The governor’s focus has been, and always will be, protecting the lives and livelihoods of Texans.”

Houston Apartment Association’s Morgan Taylor assisted with this article.

Caption: GWR Management's leasing professional Veronica Briceno helps a prospect at Trails of Eldridge Parkway community in Houston.