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.
April 28th
National
Reopening states too early will bring deadlier outcomes, coronavirus projection models show-CNN. Seven coronavirus models show US deaths from coronavirus will keep rising in the coming weeks. But how sharply the death toll rises depends on how much “contact reduction” Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
As more than a dozen states begin to reopen their economies, experts advise extra caution in these public spaces-MarketWatch. Some public spaces appear to be more hostile environments to the new coronavirus than others, according to a new study. According to a working paper released from MIT, high-traffic areas should be avoided and public transportation is also a hot spot.
States
Midwest Stay at Home Orders Extended, Ended and Updated-Engineering News-Record. Stay-at-home orders across the Midwest are being changed, extended or ended in the coming days as governors and their staffs try to balance safety and economic activity. Most Midwest states had already exempted construction as essential infrastructure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
California
Coronavirus Update: San Jose Officials Consider Easing Restrictions For Construction Work-CBS San Francisco. While most businesses will remain closed under shelter in place, things could be loosening up for some types of work in the South Bay, including construction. “The opportunity with construction is that it is a heavily regulated industry. People are trained, particularly with union environments. They’re trained for workplace safety.”
Michigan
Gov. Whitmer: Construction may be next Michigan sector to restart-ClickOnDetroit. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she will allow commercial and residential construction to restart in Michigan within a week or two. The governor is also and is taking a “hard look” at whether to let industrial sectors like manufacturing reopen in the next phase of loosening stay-at-home restrictions.
New York
Major NY and NJ infrastructure projects in jeopardy-Real Deal. Port Authority received only a fraction of federal aid it requested.
Pennsylvania
Construction in Pa. can resume in a few days, bringing relief but continued fear of fallout-The Philadelphia Inquirer. Starting Friday, all construction businesses can resume work in Pennsylvania and marks a turning point for builders and contractors who had spent the last month salvaging for any work amid the coronavirus outbreak. But for some of them, it could be a thorny reawakening.
Industry
PCL develops mobile virus testing centers-Finance&Commerce. Known as Portable Virus Testing Centers, the prototypes are designed to serve end-users that include large manufacturing facilities, office towers, and retail centers. This would allow medical professionals to conduct testing at a safe distance, such as a parking lot, from a business establishment.
Dust, debris can be deadly: Study finds healthcare construction training lacking-Construction Dive. Contractors on renovation projects in or near hospitals require contractors to work by a specific set of protocols to protect vulnerable patients. But according to recent research, some construction companies that take on these projects aren’t providing adequate training to their workers and subcontractors.
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.