April 29, 2020 -- 5 p.m. PDT
CalAPA COVID-19 Update No. 13 -- April 29, 2020
Important Notice: This CalAPA "Member Alert" is an exclusive benefit of CalAPA membership and should not be shared outside a member company without prior permission from CalAPA.

SUMMARY:
The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA) is closely monitoring events related to the Coronavirus / COVID-19 virus outbreak to assess what impact it will have on the asphalt pavement industry in California. What follows is the latest information gathered on the topic by the association since our previous public Member Alert sent on April 17, 2020. Links to our previous Member Alerts are at the bottom of this report.

WHAT IS NEW:
  • Six San Francisco Bay Area counties today (April 29) announced they have extended their COVID-19-related "shelter in place" orders through May 31, but have issued guidance to allow for the resumption of certain activities beginning May 4, including commercial construction, with some safety conditions. The Santa Clara County public health order and guidance for "large" and "small" construction projects is HERE. Road construction continues to be permitted under the "essential" designation so long as proper safety protocols are in place.
  • Gov. Gavin Newsom released a framework for a phased reopening of the California economy, although he has not specified any dates yet for an easing of restrictions, saying the timetable will be driven by public health data. A PowerPoint presentation released April 28 with more details is HERE. It is expected that some parts of the state will reopen before others. For example, the health officer in El Dorado County, east of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, announced the county's "stay at home" order would be allowed to expire on April 30, and the Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the governor requesting permission for a phased reopening of the county. An announcement on that topic is HERE. California was the first state to issue a shutdown order back on March 19.
  • As reported previously, COVID-19 guidance provided by CalOSHA with regard to how suspected cases of the coronavirus among workers are recorded and reported has sparked concern by the construction industry, particularly as it may relate to workers' compensation. A copy of the original CalOSHA letter is HERE. An industry coalition letter responding to the guidance, joined by CalAPA, is HERE. CalAPA has joined a second coalition letter, sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 28, recommending that exposure assumptions with regard to construction activity be treated differently than those of health care workers and first-responders. That letter is HERE.
  • At a conference call with the construction industry held on April 28, Caltrans executive managers reported about 30 out of more than 700 ongoing projects have been suspended for COVID-19-related issues. Overall, the department continues to advertise and award transportation improvement projects and expects many maintenance projects, including asphalt pavement rehabilitation, to be advertised in the weeks ahead.
  • Concern about transportation funding is being prominently featured in industry discussions with elected officials and policy-makers. An April 17 letter about federal funding, by CalAPA-supported Transportation California and sent to leaders in Congress, is HERE.
  • With more jurisdictions issuing orders with regard to face coverings, the National Asphalt Pavement Association released a guidance document with updated information on respiratory protection for road workers. The document is HERE (a previous Member Alert included an incorrect link to the document).
  • The news media continues to report on transportation improvement projects that have been accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lower traffic volumes on streets and highways. A story that appeared in Transport Topics is HERE. A Fox News TV report that features CalAPA members is HERE. CalAPA was also interviewed on April 27 by KPCC Radio in Southern California.
  • More than 100 industry and agency personnel attended two CalAPA "Asphalt Pavement 101" technical training webinars held April 23 and April 28. Future webinars will be announced in upcoming issues of the CalAPA newsletter.
  • CalAPA continues to contact agencies and members to assess the impact of the health emergency statewide on operations and will continue to compile and summarize that information in upcoming "Member Alerts" as conditions warrant.

BACKGROUND:

Guidance from government officials continues to be issued at the local, state and federal level with regard to the COVID-19 flu virus, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, which originated in China late last year and has been spreading quickly to other countries, including the United States. California is one of the states impacted, and the governor has declared a state of emergency as state and local governments mobilize resources to understand the nature of the deadly flu-like virus, how it is spread, and what health implications it will bring with it. Business operations have already been disrupted as "shelter-in-place" orders are issued. Road construction in California has so far escaped most of these most severe restrictions as it has been designated "essential services" to protect vital infrastructure. CalAPA continues to seek out guidance from government and elected officials on how the public health emergency will impact the construction industry, and is monitoring supply chains to identify and assess upstream disruptions.

RESOURCES:

CALAPA RESOURCES :

CalAPA is constantly updating its clearinghouse of COVID-19-related resources of interest to the asphalt pavement industry in California, including an archive of past COVID-19-related "Member Alerts," on the CalAPA Safety Page HERE .

The weekly CalAPA "Asphalt Insider" newsletter has carried regular COVID-19 roundups of major developments beginning with the March 16, 2020 issue. Those issues may be downloaded via the newsletter archive page HERE .

A special "Emergency Response"-themed issue of CalAPA"s "California Asphalt" magazine, with articles on crisis communications, tele-working, remote meetings and more, is HERE.

OTHER RESOURCES :

The National Asphalt Pavement Association COVID-19 information page is HERE .

The State of California, Department of Public Health website devoted to providing updated coronavirus information in California is HERE .

The California Department of Industrial Relations COVID-19 webpage is HERE .

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage with information on COVID-19 is HERE .

For more information on this “Member Alert,” contact CalAPA Executive Director Russell W. Snyder, CAE, at (916) 791-5044.


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