DBIA’s mission is to provide the best resources available to help inform and empower our industry. In these uncertain times, that mission is even more important. As our communities fight the Coronavirus, we are working to find the best information available to help design-build teams navigate the unknown. This daily newsletter will provide the latest COVID-19 news for the AEC community.
Design-builders deliver in times of crisis and we will again.
If you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry from your organization, state or community please email us.
May 18th
National
House Passes $3T Relief Bill With $15B for Highways, Fixes for PPP, Multiemployer Pensions-ENR. House Democrats have pushed through a $3-trillion-plus coronavirus relief and recovery package that includes a modest amount of construction-related funding along with provisions aimed at shoring up troubled multiemployer pension plans and increasing flexibility for the popular Paycheck Protection loan program
Governors perform balancing act to reopen US as nationwide COVID-19 death toll inches toward 90,000-WHDH. All but two states have loosened restrictions in place to help curb the spread of the virus. Some began allowing limited gatherings, while some restaurants and businesses can reopen their doors with caution. And while many parts of the country have expressed hope about their number of cases seemingly slowing, other states have reported hikes.
Fed’s Powell warns unemployment could reach Depression-level 25 percent-Politico. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned the nation’s unemployment rate could soar to 25 percent during the worst of the coronavirus crisis. However, he also said the economy should recover more quickly than during the Great Depression when joblessness last reached those levels.
States
California
California transit, road work to continue despite $54B state budget deficit-Construction Dive. It appears that COVID’s impact on the state’s transportation agencies will be minimal. Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated the state’s budget deficit to have only a 22.3% decline in revenue since his $222 billion January budget proposal.
Massachusetts
How construction will resume in Massachusetts amid coronavirus reopening-Mass Live. Massachusetts is implementing its first phase of reopening the state economy following its shutdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. In guidance shared with Massachusetts city and town leaders, part of the phase one was revealed: places of worship, manufacturing and construction.
Boston’s temporary construction guidelines during COVID-19 crisis-Boston25 News. With Governor Charlie Baker’s four-phase plan to reopening Massachusetts set to be released today, the City of Boston is taking steps to ensure construction sites in the city are on track to get back to work as soon as possible.
New York
Cuomo: Coronavirus testing lagging behind state’s capacity-Newsday. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo urged all New Yorkers with possible symptoms of the coronavirus to get tested. The state has doubled its daily capacity but the number of people actually taking the tests is lagging behind. The state is capable of processing 40,000 tests each day, double the capacity of just one month ago.
Texas
Texas reported its highest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases as restaurants, salons, and cinemas open to the public-Business Insider. The state of Texas reported 1,801 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday. This number is the highest single-day increase in cases in the state so far. Gov. Greg Abbott said he expected the number of positive cases to continue to rise as the state plans to increase the amount of testing in “most high-risk areas.”
Industry
What North American Companies Can Learn From Global Contractors to Improve Safety Standards Locally-Safe & Sound Podcast. In this four-part series, Construction Dive’s Brand Studio will explore how the latest technology systems provide a new level of transparency on the job site that’s helping to elevate conversations around safety. This series will also explore how clients are using this technology to create dramatically safer job sites — and improve bottom lines with fewer injuries and quality issues.
How the Coronavirus Pandemic Will Shape the Future of Design-House Beautiful. As the coronavirus has spread across the globe, it has, quite literally, pushed us all into our homes. In the design world, many a joke has been cracked about this being the change that could finally take down America’s obsession with the open floor plan. But in truth, this pandemic will have deeper repercussions than home office setups and separate rooms.
Construction loses record-breaking 975K jobs in April amid pandemic-Construction Dive. The March-to-April 2020 drop, representing 13% of the industry’s workforce, is its largest ever, according to Associated General Contractors.
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.