Woburn Construction Worker: Shut Down Construction Statewide

WOBURN, MA — Boston shut down construction Tuesday, as part of efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, but work continues elsewhere in the state. According to John, a Woburn resident working on a major construction project in another town, that should change. Construction workers face the same shortages in hand sanitizer, masks and gloves as everyone else, he explained, but they have to work in close proximity.

"They closed all the jobs in Boston, but right outside the town, there are towns with big jobs going on that are a mile or two away," John said.

John asked to remain anonymous out of fear he would lose his job and is being referred to by a pseudonym.

"It's nasty here. I don't want to be here, but I can't leave," John said. "We need the state's help to shutdown statewide jobs to keep people healthy, at least for a couple of weeks."

John did not blame the site's management for the lack of safety equipment: there was no where for them to buy it. But he said all but one of the managers are working from home, to avoid getting infected themselves, whereas he has to share equipment and tools with men who are potentially sick and contagious.

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Shutting construction down would not be easy on workers like him, John said. He would lose his job, and he's got a mortgage and kids. Unemployment benefits would help but not cover anything.

"The bosses don't want the job closed down because there is too much money at risk," John said. "It's a lot for me too, 100 percent of my paycheck, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice if I can get a little peace of mind."

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There are even rumors circulating at the site that one of their coworkers is hospitalized with the new virus, but there hasn't been any notification.

"The best thing to do is shut the jobs down," he said. "It would flush out the sick people who shouldn't be on the job. It would put the workers' minds at ease that they'll have a job in two weeks, that the place is somewhat clean, and people actually care about the workers."

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.