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.
June 4th
National
Democrats offer $494 billion transport bill targeting economy, climate-ROLL CALL. Bill includes provisions to support states struggling in the pandemic-driven downturn and to reduce carbon emissions.
Neal, Mnuchin To Negotiate Virus Relief Bill, Infrastructure-Law360. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the House Ways and Means Committee chair, will meet this week to continue negotiations on another round of coronavirus relief legislation that could include major infrastructure spending, Neal said Wednesday.
States
Coronavirus cases spike in Texas and Arizona-Axios. Texas, Arizona and Oregon saw significant spikes last week in new coronavirus infections. In addition, cases also continued to climb in a handful of states where steady increases have become the norm.
California
How the Bay Area compares on coronavirus benchmarks to California counties reopening faster-San Francisco Chronicle. Nearly all of California has moved to advanced Stage 2 coronavirus reopening plans. Much of the Bay Area is a notable exception. How do these counties compare to those areas reopening more quickly?
New York
Coronavirus Updates: Jobless Claims In New York Drop By 56 Percent As State Gradually Reopens-Gothamist. Another 83,000 New Yorkers filed for unemployment benefits last week, a drop of 106,000 from the prior week (or 56 percent) according to the U.S. Labor Department. The steep drop in claims suggests that the crisis in job loss may have peaked for New York, which saw most the coronavirus cases in the country.
Utah
Utah is seeing a statewide ‘sharp spike’ in COVID-19 cases, state’s epidemiologist says-The Salt Lake Tribune. The continuing “sharp spike” — as the state reported another 295 confirmed coronavirus cases — is “not explained easily by a single outbreak or increase in testing,” the state’s epidemiologist said at the state’s weekly media briefing. “This is a statewide trend.”
Industry
Face coverings reveal a new set of job site issues-Construction Dive. Just as construction workers adapted to requirements regarding hard hats and safety glasses years ago, new personal protective equipment necessitated by the coronavirus is having an impact on U.S. job sites. In particular, face coverings have led to questions and in some cases, pushback, from workers who say they are uncomfortable and hot.
Coronavirus face shields tailored for construction workers-Construction Now. In the UK, a custom-made coronavirus face shield was built that attaches to standard site safety helmets and can be sanitized and reused multiple times. Infectious disease experts in the US have suggested that full-face shields may offer better protection for the public than cloth masks.
Coronavirus Likely to Add Momentum to Increased Home Building in Smaller Markets-NAHBNow. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to hasten a housing trend already taking place across the nation. Residential construction activity is expanding at a more rapid rate in lower density markets such as smaller cities and rural areas.
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.