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 1st
National
US Army Corps of Engineers Daily COVID-19 Updates-USACE. The Army Corps has a coronavirus website dedicated to providing the latest info on its COVID-19 Response Efforts and a listing and status of alternate care projects.
U.S. Deaths From Coronavirus Top 63,000 as Crisis Slams Economies-Wall Street Journal. Stay-at-home orders in parts of America were set to expire Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic’s deadliest month so far drew to a close. Governors also sought to gradually reopen businesses to boost battered economies as some of their counterparts elsewhere extended lockdowns further into the spring, or left orders in place indefinitely.
States
California
Bay Area construction to restart with new coronavirus safety measures-San Francisco Chronicle. A month after much of the Bay Area’s construction industry shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a new shelter-in-place order will allow job sites to reopen with stringent safety and physical distancing requirements.
Florida
Everything you need to know about phase one of reopening Florida-News 6 Florida. The end of Florida’s statewide stay-at-home order is in sight. Soon, some businesses that have been shuttered for the past month due to the coronavirus pandemic will slowly start to reopen.
New York/New Jersey
NYC Subways to Close Overnight; State Deaths Hit New Daily Low, NJ Sees Tragic New High-NBC New York. To help protect essential workers, NYC subways will shut down between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. each night to be thoroughly disinfected. NJ Gov. Phil Murphy says his shutdown order will remain in effect statewide indefinitely. He reported a new single-day high in deaths Thursday but has seen progress on key metrics.
Ohio
“Stay safe Ohio” order extended stay at home until May 29, with exceptions-NBC4 WCMH. Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state’s stay-at-home order will be extended until May 29. “The stay at home order will be extended with the exceptions. When retail opens up that certainly will be a major exception for that. Certainly, it’s an exception in a few days when manufacturing and other companies are allowed to start back so, it will be extended.”
Texas
Texas reports 50 new coronavirus deaths, its biggest one-day increase, as state prepares to reopen-Dallas Morning News. The state of Texas reported its biggest one-day increase in deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, a day before some businesses across the state will be allowed to reopen their doors to customers. Texas has reported 782 deaths from COVID-19. Across the state, 28,087 positive coronavirus cases have been reported.
Industry
The new normal: 8 ways the coronavirus crisis is changing construction-Construction Dive. In the span of two months, the coronavirus crisis has demanded sweeping changes from the U.S. construction industry. Experts say many of them will remain even after the outbreak recedes. As contractors prepare to return to work, they will face an industry drastically changed by both the public health and economic effects of the pandemic.
Coronavirus pandemic creates challenges for building departments-Smart Brief. As the US construction industry continues to help convert structures to medical facilities, building officials need to be able to quickly address issues regarding air quality and structural integrity.
Strategic Lessons For an Uncertain Post-Pandemic Future-Engineering News-Record. Within a matter of days, contractors found themselves scrambling to figure out how to work while complying with new safety measures, while also wondering if they could work at all. Compounding the day-to-day challenges has been uncertainty about what the post-pandemic economy will hold, and what adjustments may be needed to survive.
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.