On March 28, 2020, in a critical win for NAHB and the residential construction sector, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated construction of single-family and multifamily housing as an “Essential Infrastructure Business.”
The designation will enable many home building firms to keep their businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic and help to stabilize the housing industry and its supply chain in the near term.
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Superintendents are ensuring job sites could be abandoned indefinitely at the end each day; infrared thermometers are checking some workers’ temperatures before they enter sites; and some tasks are being moved to nighttime.The global pandemic has required local contractors to take numerous precautions. The Memphis Business Journal asked executives at four local construction firms about sourcing materials, staying safe, and other concerns of the past couple weeks. Here’s what they said.
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The Senate shortly before midnight voted unanimously to approve a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes several provisions to help small businesses and those engaged in the residential construction sector.
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Lee is mobilizing the National Guard to help with testing. 250 personnel, including 150 medical personnel, are getting ready to help 35 remote testing facilities in rural parts of the state.
Lee also extended the statewide school closure to April 24, 2020. The Department of Education is now partnering with PBS to offer instructional content on television while students are out of the classroom.
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According to estimates from the Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Departments, single-family starts expanded in February. Construction activity was accelerated earlier in the year due to warmer weather. Despite the strong start for 2020, significant and rising headwinds exist for housing construction due to coronavirus mitigation efforts.
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