Much has happened since I communicated with you last Friday. At this juncture, schools are closed throughout our entire jurisdiction, as are restaurants, bars, gyms and movie theaters. The CDC has recommended no large gatherings of more than fifty people for sixty days. The White House released guidance on March 16 recommending avoiding social gatherings in groups of more than ten people.
In light of guidance from the CDC (www.cdc.gov) as well as state and federal agencies, we have made the difficult decision to close all three of the HGAR locations as of March 18th until March 31st. While the physical offices will be closed, your HGAR staff will be working remotely and will be open for business and ready to assist you. Yesterday alone the HGAR staff answered more than 260 phone calls, most of them handled remotely. We will also continue to conduct meetings remotely using zoom.
These are challenging times and unchartered waters for many of us, however we have all come through difficult times before, usually stronger and wiser, and I fully believe that will be the case now. Please know that your staff continues to be available to support you and the organization.
Below are two links to articles that HGAR President Gail Fattizzi and I have written about our perspectives on some of our current challenges and how we can surmount those challenges together.
GATEWAY PERSPECTIVE: When Life Throws You Lemons
PRESIDENT’S CORNER: The Boulder in the Road
In conclusion, as I say in my article, take deep breaths, don’t succumb to misinformation and panic, practice social distancing, stay at home if and when you can, and remember, we will get through this together.
Sincerely:
Richard Haggerty, CEO
Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors