Let’s face it, COVID-19 is going to change the way we live and work for the next 18-24 months if not forever. Even if the virus isn't the direct cause, we must account for the fact that the virus has contributed to the acceleration of pre-existing trends, and the economic affects of the virus will have a major impact on commercial real estate. Building owners and their tenants need to be prepared for the new daily disinfectant reality. As property professionals there are numerous ways to address and combat a virus, and although the jury is still out on which treatments or processes are most effective, we can certainly use the tools in our tool belt to make the workplace safe and healthy.
Moving forward in a post COVID-19 / Coronavirus world as property professionals we need to evaluate our buildings and analyze the behavior patterns of our tenants and visitors. It is up to us as the management team, to try and analyze which areas are highest traffic and which common areas would have the highest degree of transmission. Thus enabling us to prioritize areas and treatment protocols.
General Sanitation
Obviously good sanitation practices, in general, are of the utmost importance. First, we will need to review best practices with all our cleaning contractors to make sure they are following state and federal CDC guidelines, wiping down surfaces with the proper disinfectant and the proper technique, that is, according to the manufacturer's instructions. For example, is a product supposed to be sprayed until a surface is wet and left alone for a period of time or is it supposed to be wiped immediately with a rag. It is also imperative that the review of the protocols is checked and enforced, and available in multiple languages.
Hand sanitizer
This is an easy one. As property managers, we need to position hand sanitizer dispensers in high traffic common areas and near points of mutual touch/interaction. Preventing the spread to multiple services by eliminating as much of the problem as possible before it starts. In addition to this and where appropriate, providing hand sanitizer outside of an entry door, such as in a retail shopping strip center would be a best practice. This way we know all hands are sanitized to the best of our ability before entry. All tenants and vendors should be supplied with adequate hand sanitizer for employee use as well.
UVC Lighting
There is some promising information regarding the effectiveness of UVC lighting breaking down COVID-19 UVC desklamps. As noted by William Bahnfleth, a professor of architectural engineering at Pennsylvania State University "Ultraviolet light mangles the genetic material in pathogens — DNA in bacteria and fungi, RNA in viruses — preventing them from reproducing. “You’ve killed it essentially.” At Lone Eagle, we will be giving some of our clients desk lamps equipped with timers so they turn on at night for a specific period of time when the space is unoccupied. Similarly, UVC lighting can be used in communal spaces like bathrooms with motion sensor technology. Property managers should be prepared, to source, negotiate and provide, UVC lights for lamps and for AC ducting where lights in the UFC ducts can eliminate or reduce airborne pathogens and are less harmful to the human occupants. This type of light can be run during normal operations. UVC lights for unoccupied surface sanitation like in exam rooms of medical offices will also be setup with a timer so they function when the buildings are completely unoccupied and will also be wired to motion detectors, as mentioned above.
UVC light robots are the newest piece of technology to test. There are new applications using robotics that function similar to a roomba, moving from room to room while they are unoccupied at night and provide a UV treatment. Companies like Amazon are already using these robots to disinfect its Whole Foods stores and in warehouses.
Anti-Microbial Polymers
We are just starting to investigate these options as they are only just starting to be fully understood by the scientific community. As noted by the NIH, "Several international efforts, such as the Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies Group (International) and Hack the Pandemic (Copper3D Inc) have made significant progress using additive manufacturing to develop critical medical devices." So how does this apply to property managers preparedness plan?
In a practical, non-medical application, the anti-microbial polymers as well as other surface coatings may reduce the survivability and/or transmission of microbial organisms. Along with antibacterial floor mats we are just in the initial stages of investigating this and its potential applications.
What's Next?
Create a plan and inform our tenants. The Institute of Real Estate Management has put together a comprehensive guide and checklist for property managers that includes legal considerations we should all be aware of.
At Lone Eagle, if you need help with your property, let us know, it's a lot to handle and we can help you manage it - fill out the contact form and we will reach out in 24 hours or less!