Community workers are essential in the fight against coronavirus

Welcome back to the blog of Southern. In this post, we’re going to explain why we believe that staff in our residents’ associations are essential in the daily battle against coronavirus.

Community workers are essential in the face of Covid-19

The staff who work every day to ensure that life runs smoothly in our residents’ associations are essential to maintaining harmony in our communities, as well as in the daily fight against Covid.

One of the battlegrounds in the fight against the pandemic is in homeowners’ associations and residential blocks, because that is where the vast majority of people live. 

It is up to us to show our appreciation to all the workers in our communities and neighbourhoods who have continued to work to keep many services that are vital to our communities running.

Community staff keep essential services running for the community

There are undoubtedly many more “key workers” in these new times. I am referring to staff in residential care homes, who carry out essential work in the fight against the coronavirus.

Doormen and caretakers, who are the backbone of residential areas and play a vital role in the fight against coronavirus. As such, they continue to carry out their duties, subject to the Royal Decree-Law 10/2020, of 29 March, as set out in the annex on essential activities: 

“18. Those providing cleaning, maintenance, emergency repair and safety services, as well as those providing services relating to the collection, management and treatment of hazardous waste, as well as services relating to solid waste in urban areas—both hazardous and non-hazardous—decontamination services, and the transport and removal of all items relating to the public sector, as set out in Article 3 of Law 9/2017 of 8 November on Public Sector Contracts”. 

Royal Decree-Law 10/2020 of 29 March

The main role of staff at residential estates is to look after, maintain, clean and ensure the safety of communal facilities. They are also responsible for ensuring that the order, peace and safety of the building’s residents are not disrupted. 

What are the basic duties of staff working in residential urban estates?

In the current situation, the vast majority of the population spends 24 hours a day at home. It is therefore more important than ever that all services in buildings are functioning perfectly. And staff at residential properties are responsible for this. 

Naturally, cleaning becomes an absolute priority: entrance doors, lifts, call buttons, handrails, door knobs and handles must be cleaned several times a day using suitable disinfectants. 

In addition, staff in the urban areas must ensure that the misuse of communal areas (garages, terraces, gardens, etc.) is kept to a minimum. 

Caretakers and doormen provide day-to-day support for many elderly people 

Under normal circumstances, porters and caretakers provide invaluable support to elderly residents living alone. This support becomes essential in the current circumstances. Staff in residential areas are the frontline workers when it comes to helping members of this vulnerable section of the community. Doing their shopping, ensuring they take any medication they may need, keeping an eye out to prevent any mishaps, avoiding unnecessary visitors and speaking to them daily via the intercom should form part of these professionals’ daily routine to better safeguard the oldest members of our communities. 

 Although these tasks are not explicitly mentioned in their job descriptions, they are acts of solidarity that each of them carries out with the utmost willingness. For all these reasons, urban property staff deserve our society’s recognition, and we should bear them in mind when offering our applause in solidarity.  

A new reality in residents’ associations too

These past few months have been very different from what we had imagined just a few weeks ago. We have been in lockdown and subject to restrictions on our movements for almost three months, and we have all learnt to live differently. We have got used to working from home (those of us who can) and to living alongside our neighbours.

But despite these setbacks, let us hold on to hope and learn to appreciate the little things. And amongst those things to appreciate are many professions that have been invisible to us until now, even though they have always been there.  

Healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, soldiers, lorry drivers, food handlers and supermarket staff have become vital to us. They perform essential roles in this new way of life to which we need to adapt.

Meridional wishes to express this in these words, and we call on all those concerned to ensure that, once this storm has passed, they collectively receive the tribute that their quiet work so richly deserves.