Blaine County and its cities jointly announced plans to implement new, stringent measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 Wednesday night, including a ban on residential and commercial construction.
During special Hailey City Council meetings this week residents in the construction and landscaping industries—several providing emotional testimony—worried that the new order would drastically alter their lives.
“This proposed action will leave me in a jam,” said Greg Bloomfield. “I am under contract to buy a Sweetwater duplex that is a week from being finished. If you shut this project down, I will be homeless.”
Sweetwater Community Project Manager Cameron Spencer said he was in favor of reducing early-stage construction, but late-stage projects should be finished.
“We’ve got houses that are nearly complete and families that have deadlines to move in, and this is directly going to affect that,” he said.
Beau Burks of Burks Excavation said he’d like to see the construction industry keep rolling.
“I can’t imagine the loss of revenue,” he said. “It would be devastating for us.”
Burks added that his employees have been vigilant about maintaining space.
“Only one person is allowed in a vehicle at a time. We made up some spray bottles of disinfectant that we spray on our door handles,” he said. “We can do this in a safe manner.”
Idaho Department of Building Safety Inspector Tom Abbott said he could help enforce social distancing and protective-gear regulations on job sites.
“I can observe workers and make sure they are following prescribed protocol,” he said. “If there are any problems, I can report it.”
Once approved by local jurisdictions during special meetings this week, the enhanced measures will last until 11:59 p.m. on April 12. The ordinance stalls construction and landscaping. Plumbers, electricians, and other tradesman can only conduct work deemed “immediate and essential.”
Post a comment as
Report
Watch this discussion.
(15) comments
Maybe we should all ask ourselves why are we even self-isolating if select groups of people are permitted to perpetuate this virus. If It does not stop soon, everyone will suffer great economic hardship. Allowing travel to other counties will just prolong our isolation further. Get smart leaders.
Greg maybe you should go back to your home in Baja
The big factor in this is the potential spread to Jerome, Twin Falls and Gooding. It isn't that the construction workers will get sick, it's that they will speak it all over Southern Idaho. Already there are threats to 5B drivers down south for the few cases that have spread.
They should have been putting Tyvek on a week ago. Waited till now to cover it. I have witnessed all sorts of un safework practices going on there. OHSA would have stopped them a month ago
Many of these projects in the late stages have only 1 or 2 people on site at any given time with much less chance of exposing people than going to the grocery store.
This sucks
My recent experience has been that the workers in the construction industry have been going to work with other construction workers while they have been coughing. I have seen them around dumpsters within a foot of each other laughing (expelling droplets toward their coworkers). I see them in trucks, driving around together within a foot of each other, even this very morning.
I think they should stop working, just like the rest of us. They are not a special group. No one is allowed to be evicted because they can not move in to a new place.
[thumbup]
I agree entirely with Beau's approach. Construction workers wanting to work are not college kids with still-developing brains wanting to party on the breach during Spring Break. They are intelligent adults who can figure out best practices to distance themselves, sanitize equipment, and keep themselves and their families safe. the more pockets of economic activity that can protect themselves in this manner, the more we should allow to still function.
From what I have personally witnessed, I disagree. They were arm and arm. We all need to stop to slow this down. Sorry, we are all going to lose money, ALL of us. Hopefully, the business' will step-up and get SBA loans to help their employees out.
The construction industry is the only industry that will be devastated by the loss of revenue....
wrong !!!! how about all the restaurants? how many will have confidence eating out well after this??? we will ALL get hit hard by this and will have a post wartime rebound like none other as well..... be calm
Sarcasm: 'The use of irony to mock or convey contempt' - I wasn't born under a rock.
[thumbdown]
Projects like the hotel in Haley should be allowed to get in dry and save the framing materials.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In