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COVID-19 & AEC Update: May 12, 2020

covid-19 update may 12

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 12th

National

US coronavirus death toll passes 80,000 as states move to phased reopening-CNN. The US coronavirus death toll passed 80,000, far and away the most reported deaths of any country in the world. America marked that grim toll Monday as almost every state has made plans to partially reopen some businesses, and that makes critics fear an increase in the daily reports of fatalities.

More Coronavirus Relief Hits a Snag Over Partisan Demands-US NEWS. Democrats want another bill with money for state and local governments, Republicans want to wait and see. The next round of relief has hit a snag over diverging demands from Democrats, Republicans and the White House as well as disagreements on whether additional aid is in fact needed.

Unemployment From the Coronavirus Varies Dramatically Between States, Analysis Finds-Route50. The percentage of each state’s workforce filing for unemployment as a result of the pandemic ranges between 8% to 33%, largely depending on the industries that drive local economies. Nearly a third of the workforce in Kentucky, Georgia and Hawaii filed for unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis by credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.

States

Colorado

Denver airport officials propose additional $560M and acceleration of construction work-Construction Dive. The airport wants to take advantage of reduced passenger volume during the COVID-19 slowdown to expedite improvement projects. This could be done by expanding the scope of the current contracts in place.

New York

Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces Three Regions of New York State Ready to Begin Reopening May 15th-New York State. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that three regions have met metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan. If the trend continues, starting on May 15th, these three regions can begin opening businesses for phase one, which (among other things) includes construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply chain.

Pennslyvania

Road Warrior: Coronavirus delays will continue for these four construction projects-The Morning CallThough PennDOT construction started to return to normal (a bit) on May 1, not all projects were able to restart. For instance, some projects are still on hold because they’re in the center of large areas battling outbreaks. The projects have also created some concerns because of social distancing in these locations.

Vermont

Scott Reopens Manufacturing, Construction Industries After Dip In New COVID-19 Cases-Vermont Public Radio. The manufacturing and construction businesses that employ more than 50,000 people in Vermont will be allowed to “restart full operations” on May 11, said Gov. Phil Scott. Companies will have to adhere to “stringent requirements” to protect workers and customers from COVID-19.

Industry

Social distancing and site monitoring tech rapidly rolling out to US construction sites-Construction Dive. The coronavirus pandemic has forced U.S. construction into adopting new technologies to maintain social distancing and monitor job sites remotely. However, some industry leaders say these adaptations should have been adopted before the pandemic forced them to.

How Might the COVID-19 Change Architecture and Urban Design?-Common Edge. In the wake of the global pandemic crisis, there’s been speculation about how architecture, urban planning, and design might be permanently affected. In addition, there are plenty of issues to raise that have possible implications for the built environment in the future.

Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.