Owners demand covid plan for apartment blocks

Apartment owners have called on the next government in NSW to come up with a coherent plan for what apartment managers can and should do in the event of another covid outbreak.

Regardless of whether NSW health and strata policies are determined by Labor or Coalition, the Owners’ Corporation Network (OCN), the peak body for the one million plus apartment owners in New South Wales, wants government to plan now to avoid the chaos that ensued the first time Australia was hit by the virus.

Back in 2020, apartment block managers were swamped with contradictory advice that told them, for instance, that they couldn’t tell residents to wear masks, then informed them that they must.

Swimming pools and exercise facilities were either closed to residents for too long or not at all as management committees grappled with inadequate health notices and the conflicts that they raised with strata laws.

Signs were issued that implied safe-distancing and mask-wearing was optional, at the same time as the government was saying they were mandatory.

Masks were demanded for people in shops and offices but not in public areas of apartment blocks. Those infected with covid were told it was a good idea to spend time in the open-air parts of their unit blocks with no regard for the fact that they would probably have to pass through common areas and use lifts to access them.

In one case, a 350-unit apartment block was locked down and then, the next day, the residents were told to travel to the next suburb to get covid tests. Thousands of apartment block cleaners were kept at home at a time when they were needed most.

To be fair, most of these issues emerged because the authorities were dealing with a new threat and didn’t have the right information to best deal with it. For instance, hand-washing was seen as the best defence until it emerged that the virus was airborne and mask were also required.

The OCN says with new COVID variants emerging, it is concerned tens of thousands of owners corporations in the State are exposed to possible legal challenge if they try to protect apartment precincts from a new COVID outbreak.

It wants to see the announcement of a comprehensive and updated COVID response and containment plan – including proposed significant legislation changes – from both major political parties before the March State election.

It says COVID controls were a major issue for apartment owners in 2020 – 2022 and many were left fuming after being ignored in COVID strategies.  

The Owners Corporation Network says it is willing to sit down with both parties and work through issues to correct and improve upon the previous lockdown plan put in place during the COVID infection period in 2020 – 2022 and says the planning should be taken away from NSW Health.

“NSW Health is not adequately prepared nor has the expertise to manage another COVID variant outbreak in terms of the specific needs of apartment owners.” OCN executive director, Karen Stiles, said last week.

“Owners corporations have a duty of care and must act reasonably to protect the welfare and safety of everyone.  This includes keeping common property reasonably safe, preventing dangerous conditions, and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for those working at the property.

“But they need legal authority to act, and this is what has been missing.

“Management statements and by-laws were never intended to protect high density populations during a global public health emergency.

“There are over 80,000 strata and apartment complexes in NSW. It is common for larger schemes to have lifts, swimming pools, gyms, spas and saunas.

“In times of a lockdown, owners corporations need clear legal authority enshrined in law to maintain public safety.

“This currently does not exist and that needs to change.”

Flat Chat readers who’ve forgotten just how chaotic it all was, can type the word “covid” in the search panel at the top of this page and you’ll get a stark reminder in the dozens of warnings, posts and articles we published at the time.