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The news of the spike in Covid cases in Florida and elsewhere fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant is causing many employers and organizations to revisit the restrictions and precautions put in place at the height of the pandemic. Community associations in Florida have been no different, as many are now returning to mask mandates and social distancing even for vaccinated individuals in accordance with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
After the CDC first announced several weeks ago that vaccinated individuals could safely stop wearing masks, community associations in Florida and across the country began to ease mask mandates and re-open their amenities with little or no capacity restrictions. While life appeared to be returning to normal, especially for those who received the vaccines, the latest spike in Covid cases caused by the highly transmissible Delta strain illustrates that we are not completely out of the woods yet.
Community associations, just as all other private and public sector organizations in which people congregate, are taking notice of the renewed calls by the CDC and other sources to return to masking and social distancing. This is especially true for areas with high transmission rates such as Florida, which has lead the country in new Covid cases.
Our firm’s other South Florida community association attorneys and I understand that all communities are different, and all condominium associations and HOAs will wish to tailor their response to this latest wave of increased cases of Covid to meet their specific needs and desires for their residents and staff. We are advising our clients to follow the CDC guidelines and municipal mandates to help stop the spread of Covid-19 and the highly transmissible Delta variant in their communities. We encourage boards of directors that are considering the reimplementation of prudent precautionary measures and safety protocols to consult closely with highly experienced association legal counsel regarding any potential changes to their rules and operations.
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