COVID-19 guidance for shared or congregate housing

Updated Aug. 22, 2020The following guidance was created to help owners, administrators, or operators of shared (also called \u201ccongregate\u201d) housing facilities \u2013 working together with residents, staff, and public health officials \u2013 prevent the spread of COVID-19.For this guidance, shared housing includes a broad range of settings, such as apartments, condominiums, student or faculty housing, national and state park staff housing, transitional housing, and domestic violence and abuse shelters. Special considerations exist for the prevention of COVID-19 in shared housing situations, and some of the following guidance might not apply to your specific shared housing situation.People living and working in this type of housing may have challenges with social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Shared housing residents often gather together closely for social, leisure, and recreational activities, shared dining, and/or use of shared equipment, such as kitchen appliances, laundry facilities, stairwells, and elevators.Plan and Prepare -- Emergency operations plans -- Key resources: emergency operations plans -- Planning strategies -- To maintain safe operations -- Encourage staff and residents to prepare and take action to protect themselves and others -- Communicate to staff and residents -- Considerations for common spaces in your facility, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 -- Considerations for specific communal rooms in your facility -- If a resident in your facility has COVID-19 (suspected or confirmed) -- Accepting new residents at facilities that offer support services.2020844