COVID-19 precautions for multi-unit residential buildings

Multi-unit residential buildings bring together tens to hundreds of people within the same building envelope and in contact with many of the same surfaces. Although we know that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted via direct contact and respiratory droplets, there is some evidence to suggest that contact with contaminated surfaces (and potentially other modes of transmission) may play a role in the current pandemic, and may particularly affect people in shared living spaces.

This document was developed to synthesize the available evidence and guidance regarding COVID-19 precautions for multi-unit residential housing. It discusses what is known about disease transmission and subsequently what precautions are necessary, and how changes to sanitation, building operation, health communication and governance can be bundled together to most effectively decrease the risk of transmission.