M.B. from Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Our board has announced (without notice of a meeting or minutes of a meeting, or probably without a meeting) that our pool will be closed because our insurance company has sent a notice that they do not cover any claims about contracting coronavirus in a swimming pool. Many owners are furious. How could anyone prove that they got the virus at our pool, to begin with? How about posting signs that say “enter at your own risk”, etc.? We are aware of the poor parliamentary procedure but are interested in what other condos are doing when insurance companies issue such statements.
Mister Condo replies:
M.B., I am sorry that your Board has decided to close the pool at this time. It isn’t so much a question of whether or not anyone could prove they caught the virus from your pool as much as it is the risk and liability if a claim were made. Since the insurer has stated flatly that opening the pool would be at the risk of the association, the Board made the best decision they could, based on the information they had. That is exactly why they were elected to serve. They are not alone in Connecticut. In fact, many experts agree that keeping association pools closed this year protects the association from risk, as well as residents and guests from disease. You can read much more and look at the resources available to your Board to aid in their decision making here: https://www.caict.org/page/2021pools. Some states have taken steps to offer legislative relief to associations so that they can open their pools. Sadly, Connecticut was not one of those states. Perhaps next year will be different. All the best!