Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

The well-being and health of our residents, applicants, employees and partners remains our primary focus at the Ozark Housing Community (OHC).  As we continue to monitor the quickly evolving news related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), we wanted to update you on the actions we have taken in response to the pandemic.

OHC will continue to actively and effectively manage our business in response to COVID-19, with three key objectives in mind:

1. Keeping our residents, applicants, employees and their families safe.
2. Ensuring our business is operational to serve our residents.
3. Doing our part as a corporate citizen to contain the spread of the virus.

To promote a healthy work environment, OHC has taken the following actions:

• We have distributed the CDC flyers to all staff and current residents as well as posted the flyers in the lobby of our administration building.
• We have posted signage requesting those who have been sick with flu or flu-like symptoms to please refrain from entering our facility.
• We are instructing our employees to practice good hygiene including frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and disinfecting surfaces per CDC guidelines.
• We are requiring employees who feel sick to stay home until they are free of fever (100.4), signs of fever or other symptoms for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines.  Employees who report to work and appear to be exhibiting symptoms will be sent home.
•  If an employee is diagnosed or lives with someone who is diagnosed with COVID-19, he/she must self-quarantine for 14 days as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before returning to work.
• We encourage residents to limit close contact with others during this health crisis.

To protect staff and residents who interact daily, we are requesting the following actions:

• We are requesting that anyone who needs to conduct business with us to please call and schedule an appointment with the appropriate staff person before arriving at the office facility.
• All non-emergency inspections (HQS, UPCS and housekeeping) have been canceled until further notice.
• Maintenance staff will continue to perform essential or emergency work orders (such as clogged plumbing, water leaks and health/safety related issues).  All other work orders may be deferred until further notice.
• Upon arrival at an apartment maintenance staff will:
  
  • Knock at the door and stand back 6 feet
  • Ask the resident if anyone in the unit has been sick recently or is exhibiting flu or flu-like symptoms or has traveled to a high-risk area.  If any response indicates an illness with flu or flu-like symptoms, non-emergency work orders will be deferred.
• Maintenance staff will wear personal protective equipment while in the unit and will safely dispose of it after completing the work order.

OHC staff will continue to be available during normal business hours (7:30 AM until 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday) and we encourage you to contact us by phone or fax concerning any business that needs to be conducted. Our office phone number is 334-774-8210 and our fax number is 334-774-7544.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation during this national health crisis.

Respectfully,

Dannie Walker, Executive Director/CEO