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.
UPDATE: COVID-19 and DBIA Education Courses
We appreciate everyone’s patience as DBIA continues to adjust our education schedule in the wake of COVID-19. In order to keep our attendees safe during this uncertain time, we must cancel our April in-person classes. However, the good news is we have now added 4 Certification Workshops as virtual courses. While it’s hard to see beyond the uncertainties of today, DBIA understands the important role design-build and our members/customers play in helping our nation recover after disaster and emergencies, including COVID-19. Design-Build Done Right® education is especially important now as a growing number of design-build professionals nationwide will respond to the demands placed on our infrastructure by this pandemic. Registration is now open. We hope you take advantage of these new courses and continue your design-build certification journey, even as we navigate these uncertain times.
Certification Workshops Virtual Training:
April 7-9, 2020 – Eastern Daylight Time
April 14-16, 2020 – Pacific Daylight Time
April 20-22, 2020 – Pacific Daylight Time
April 28-30, 2020 – Eastern Daylight Time
If you have any questions, please contact DBIA’s Education Department.
March 24th
National
Mnuchin, Schumer say coronavirus rescue package deal very close; Both sides hope for a Tuesday vote-Politico. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that they are “very close” to an agreement on a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus economic rescue package, raising the possibility of a Senate vote on the legislation as early as Tuesday.
Investors Eyeing Second Half Bounce If Coronavirus Is Contained-Bisnow. “If the spread of the coronavirus is contained, some economists and commercial real estate experts are predicting that the property market should bounce back later this year. ‘As of today, the consensus is still assuming a rebound at some point in the second half of 2020,’ Cushman & Wakefield Global Chief Economist Kevin Thorpe said during a company webinar on the coronavirus. “
DBIA Community Survey Poll. DBIA is reaching out to America’s design-build community to assess how organizations large and small, across all sectors, are navigating these uncertain times. Your answers will help DBIA determine how we can help our members and design-build community during these challenging weeks and months ahead. Take the Survey.
The U.S. now has the third-highest number of cases worldwide – Johns Hopkins. There are 46,450 reported infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
States
Construction can continue in New York, California and Illinois amid shutdown orders. In other regions, it’s banned-Construction Dive. The shutdowns that have been enacted so far exempt most construction activities, but with caveats.
As Federal Government Mobilizes, Local Officials Say Response Remains Too Slow
The New York Times. Federal emergency response teams toured a convention center in New York City on Monday, a sign that a much-needed temporary hospital is on the way. California has received hundreds of thousands of masks for those on the front lines of the outbreak.
California
Newsom: Coronavirus social distancing measures could last 2 or 3 months-Daily News. Governor says the state needs 50,000 more hospital beds. The divergent messages from Washington and Sacramento came as California breached 2,000 coronavirus cases and the U.S. recorded more than 100 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time so far.
New York
Coronavirus in NY: Cuomo calls for Javits Center hospitals as cases hit 15,168-New York Post. Gov. Cuomo asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to set up four emergency hospitals inside Manhattan’s Javits Center to help combat the coronavirus.
Economic recovery planning needs to start now, Cuomo says-Crains New York. “You turned off the engine quickly — how do you now start, or begin to restart or plan the restart of the economic engine,” Cuomo said.
Ohio
Construction still breaking ground during COVID-19 spread-ABC13. The construction business is permitted to continue as a critical trade under Ohio’s Stay At Home order that went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
Industry
John LaPlante, former Chicago transportation chief, dies after contracting coronavirus, family says-Chicago Tribune. John LaPlante, the former acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, died Saturday at Evanston Hospital from what his family said were coronavirus-related causes. He was 80.
Construction Groups Push Back on OSHA’s COVID-19 Reporting Rule-ENR. The sheer volume and pervasiveness of COVID-19 cases have construction industry trade groups and others questioning the practicality of current U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule that requires workplace exposures to the virus reported and recorded.
RMJM introduces database for quarantined architects to help them find work- RMJM. This new initiative will offer opportunities to ensure that architects, engineers and designers affected by the coronavirus crisis around the world can keep working and earning while they are distanced from their workplaces and teams.
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.