More than a dozen COVID-19 cases at just one DC construction site

[Anonymous]

I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

[Anonymous]

Construction workers are at risk.
Some will die.

If that’s OK with you, because “food on the table”, I don’t know what to tell you, other than dead people can’t eat or come back to work for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Construction is the only thing keeping my business a float.

And food on the workers table.

Thank god something is still open.

+1. Everytime someone gets this it does not mean we need to shut down an industry. Insist on masks and go forth and work. This is insanity around shutting things down is causing food lines and civil unrest.

NP. "Insisting" won't work. Are you, and PPs above, all willing to push for requiring masks on every worker, supervisor, everyone the entire time they are on site? With actual enforcement and consequences, up to and including firing, when anyone is caught without a mask or caught wearing it improperly, shoved down off his face instead of actually covering both mouth and nose? Are you all going to lobby for a rule (with consequences) requiring that cabs of construction vehicles be appropriately wiped down between different users, especially high-touch steering wheels, gear shifts, controls etc.? Tool handles cleaned? Mandate that breaks and lunch periods be taken so that workers are not sitting together?

If the virus is spreading through a largely outdoor work site like a construction site, SOMEHOW people are infecting each other on site so are you all going to put some effort into getting employers to enforce the practices that might actually reduce some transmission? Or are you just going to talk about the economy without addressing the fact that infected workers go on to infect others who aren't on the work site, who in turn infect yet others?

I'm betting none of you will utter one peep about real, enforced protocols to the mayor's office or anyone else. Let the construction workers get infected, and infect others off the sites, as long as buildings go up, right?

I'm in favor of construction continuing. I just believe that construction companies don't give a damn about the workers or about protecting them--and by extension, everyone else--from infection.

Sure enforce it. That's fine. Just dont destroy people's livelihoods when there are alternative less restrictive mitigation methods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

I dont think you know any of these people. Yes everyone would rather be sheltering at home if they were guaranteed their income forever, but that's not realistic. If the alternative is 1/2 income for 6 months then nothing, I'm going to guess they'd rather work and be able to feed their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Construction is the only thing keeping my business a float.

And food on the workers table.

Thank god something is still open.

+1. Everytime someone gets this it does not mean we need to shut down an industry. Insist on masks and go forth and work. This is insanity around shutting things down is causing food lines and civil unrest.

NP. "Insisting" won't work. Are you, and PPs above, all willing to push for requiring masks on every worker, supervisor, everyone the entire time they are on site? With actual enforcement and consequences, up to and including firing, when anyone is caught without a mask or caught wearing it improperly, shoved down off his face instead of actually covering both mouth and nose? Are you all going to lobby for a rule (with consequences) requiring that cabs of construction vehicles be appropriately wiped down between different users, especially high-touch steering wheels, gear shifts, controls etc.? Tool handles cleaned? Mandate that breaks and lunch periods be taken so that workers are not sitting together?

If the virus is spreading through a largely outdoor work site like a construction site, SOMEHOW people are infecting each other on site so are you all going to put some effort into getting employers to enforce the practices that might actually reduce some transmission? Or are you just going to talk about the economy without addressing the fact that infected workers go on to infect others who aren't on the work site, who in turn infect yet others?

I'm betting none of you will utter one peep about real, enforced protocols to the mayor's office or anyone else. Let the construction workers get infected, and infect others off the sites, as long as buildings go up, right?

I'm in favor of construction continuing. I just believe that construction companies don't give a damn about the workers or about protecting them--and by extension, everyone else--from infection.

It may be commuting together or at the pickup sites at the lumber/Home Depots?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

I dont think you know any of these people. Yes everyone would rather be sheltering at home if they were guaranteed their income forever, but that's not realistic. If the alternative is 1/2 income for 6 months then nothing, I'm going to guess they'd rather work and be able to feed their children.

I think you know more professionals and middle managers than you do construction workers. See how easy that is?

But my point is that we certainly could provide supports so that working families could shelter at home without mass hunger. We just chose not to, and instead spent that money elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

I dont think you know any of these people. Yes everyone would rather be sheltering at home if they were guaranteed their income forever, but that's not realistic. If the alternative is 1/2 income for 6 months then nothing, I'm going to guess they'd rather work and be able to feed their children.

If you were offered a choice between either hunger/homelessness or working in dangerous conditions, you'd probably be asking why those were the only two choices offered to you. And it would be a good question.

[Anonymous]

Shut it down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

I dont think you know any of these people. Yes everyone would rather be sheltering at home if they were guaranteed their income forever, but that's not realistic. If the alternative is 1/2 income for 6 months then nothing, I'm going to guess they'd rather work and be able to feed their children.

If you were offered a choice between either hunger/homelessness or working in dangerous conditions, you'd probably be asking why those were the only two choices offered to you. And it would be a good question.

Okay. So your problem boils down to we don't have a UBI in this country. That's a systemic criticism and one that helps 0 people right now. We're not going to pass a UBI right now, it simply isnt happening and waving your arms about it doesnt help the people that are suffering from job losses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

I dont think you know any of these people. Yes everyone would rather be sheltering at home if they were guaranteed their income forever, but that's not realistic. If the alternative is 1/2 income for 6 months then nothing, I'm going to guess they'd rather work and be able to feed their children.

If you were offered a choice between either hunger/homelessness or working in dangerous conditions, you'd probably be asking why those were the only two choices offered to you. And it would be a good question.

Okay. So your problem boils down to we don't have a UBI in this country. That's a systemic criticism and one that helps 0 people right now. We're not going to pass a UBI right now, it simply isnt happening and waving your arms about it doesnt help the people that are suffering from job losses.

No, those aren't the only 3 choices, either.

[Anonymous]

If we hadn't been such weak, whining complainers we would be close to our goal by now, like France is. France is already opening up restaurants because they had the backbone to do what it took to knock out cases of COVID.

Too bad we are lacking in the moral fiber to tackle this. We will likely have this lingering in our country long, long, long after other countries go back to normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we hadn't been such weak, whining complainers we would be close to our goal by now, like France is. France is already opening up restaurants because they had the backbone to do what it took to knock out cases of COVID.

Too bad we are lacking in the moral fiber to tackle this. We will likely have this lingering in our country long, long, long after other countries go back to normal.

They'll flare up. You just have to start accepting that people are going to get this. It is what is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

You would expect wrong. People with staff jobs who can eff around working from home want to shelter in place. But there are millions of people out there one missed paycheck away from losing everything and they are desperate to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the construction workers would rather be sheltering at home than out getting a miserable disease while the area's death numbers are still at peak. But we're not going to allow that.

You would expect wrong. People with staff jobs who can eff around working from home want to shelter in place. But there are millions of people out there one missed paycheck away from losing everything and they are desperate to work.

They are desperate to work because the alternative (as you say) is losing everything. That doesn't mean they wouldn't rather be sheltering at home.

[Anonymous]

The disease spreads quite easily. There are likely a massive number of people infected and spreading it, without anyone knowing.

For example, In four U.S. state prisons, nearly 3,300 inmates test positive for coronavirus -- 96% without symptoms. Similarly, at a Boston homeless shelter, 36% of the residents were infected, none report symptoms.

The doom and gloom predictions are - quite thankfully - not coming true. Shutting down all economic activity was never going to stop the disease, the language used was always about "slowing" the spread.