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?It?s putting a lot of people in really tough positions. We?re all going to be sacrificing,? says one general contractor The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed life down for millions of Americans, but it hasn?t for Evan Adams, a specialty spots contractor based in Northern California. He currently has five in-progress construction projects, mostly installing school gymnasium floors, that are going full steam ahead due to contractual obligations. In construction, time is money, even during a global health crisis. ?More than anything we need schools to extend deadlines and just slow the pace,? Adams says. ?It is not essential to keep going at normal speeds.?
The federal government hasn?t issued specific mandates to the construction industry, so states and cities are enacting their own policies. California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on March 19 instructing all residents statewide to stay at home, but he granted exceptions for essential workforce, which includes ?construction workers who support the construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of construction sites and construction projects, including housing construction.? Because of the nature of his projects as a flooring subcontractor, Adams and his team are typically brought in toward the end of a project, when multiple subcontractors are also at work, and everyone is jockeying for space. He offered to pay his workers overtime, out of his own pocket, if they want...