NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Construction across Middle Tennessee is hammering on despite the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to the Associated General Contractors of Tennessee, CDC hand-washing fliers are posted and extra hand-sanitizing stations are set up at construction sites around the state.
"Companies have started social distancing their sub-contractors once you close down the walls, so they are maintaining procedures to make sure people are separated on the job site and maintaining that at least 6-foot distance on all projects," executive director Kaylah White said.
However, workers and unions have expressed concerns that the guidelines are hard to follow since their work is on a deadline.
Victor White of the local carpenters union is concerned about the vulnerable populations that work in construction.
"[With the] construction boom, Nashville is a perfect example...they had a severe shortage of not only tradespeople, but also supervision so they brought a lot of people out of retirement to be project managers, to be superintendents and that is the age group that it is very risky if you contract COVID-19," Victor White said.
The union representative also said thousands of undocumented people work in construction.
"They're very fearful to get any type of testing related to COVID-19. Reason-being, being undocumented they're fearful of being deported. It affects all of us in the community because these guys are on the jobs everyday co-mingling, interacting with all the other workers and trades and crafts on these projects," he said.
Both the union and AGC agree completely stopping construction like was done in Boston, would be financially devastating in Nashville.
The union's recommendation is to cut back on the number of people working at one time.
"The workers don't even mind taking turns. Two weeks on, two weeks off. Month on, month off. They would be willing to go for that to keep some form of employment," Victor White said.
Click here to read the guidelines AGC is sharing with contractors across the country.
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- Donate to the COVID-19 Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund
See all our coronavirus coverage here
COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE
What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
