It is as if aliens have landed and we’re paralyzed into inaction. We don’t know what to do other than stay home. The coronavirus epidemic has transformed our robust construction market, hindered only by a shortage of skilled labor, into … what? I don’t know. I have no idea what’s going to happen.
The impact of the coronavirus is uncertain at this time, but it will have an impact
The federal government has listed industries where construction is essential, such as critical manufacturing, water and commercial facilities, but has not specifically identified construction as an essential service. New York, California and Illinois, however, listed construction workers as essential.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), in conjunction with major unions, has been lobbying the government to include construction, rightly pointing out that construction workers already employ the exact kind of personal protection equipment (PPE) they need to be safe.
AGC CEO, Stephen E. Sandherr, says, ““Halting construction activity will do more harm than good for construction workers, community residents and the economy. Construction firms are already acting to ensure the safety and health of their employees in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. These new measures, which include increased hygiene and halting group gatherings of staff, are in addition to the fact construction workers already wear protective equipment, including gloves that will help protect them and their coworkers.”
There are some kinds of construction activity for which the current circumstances would be the ideal time to push. Wouldn’t it be better for us to work on our roads while the traffic is so light, rather than try to do it during the daily congestion we have been facing? And halting projects in progress would further undermine the economy.
All of that said, AGC reports that the coronavirus has halted or delayed construction for about 28% of contractors.
There are some kinds of construction where there will inevitably be a rapid slowdown. Not many of our readers are heavily involved in home remodeling services, but it’s hard to imagine that homeowners would agree to have workers inside their house during this pandemic. Perhaps they would allow work on the exterior. And, if I were a homeowner in the middle of a kitchen remodel, I have to admit that I’d be highly motivated to complete that work.
The uncertainty, though, is unsettling. Some things seem obvious, such as shutting down kitchen remodeling, but why not send workers in to do tenant build-outs on empty office buildings, as long as they practice social distancing? There are times on the job site that you need that second pair of hands to complete a task, and a person would need to be next to you, but those are pretty rare. And if you’re wearing PPE, it seems that construction would be a safe environment to continue work and help keep the economy rolling along.
That is, of course, if the people who hired us can afford to pay us.
It seems perfectly apt that the common phrase, “May you live in interesting times,” is actually a translation of a Chinese curse. Again, uncertainty. I sure wish it were a little less uncertain. After all, everything I just wrote may be obsolete by the time you read this.
