Pittsburgh Sanitation Workers Returning To Work: Mayor's Office

PITTSBURGH, PA - Refuse collection should resume in Pittsburgh Thursday, a day after sanitation workers refused to go to work without masks or other gear that could lessen their chances of contracting the coronavirus.

Mayor Bill Peduto's administration issued a release Wednesday stating that regular Thursday trash pickup will occur. Residents who put their refuse at curbsides Wednesday should leave it there for pickup Thursday after regular pickup routes are complete.

The sanitation workers' concerns apparently were triggered by a refuse worker's wife had a presumptive positive test result for the coronavirus on Tuesday. According to the city, neither the worker nor his wife is displaying symptoms, but the worker has been placed in self-quarantine with pay.

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Workers were reminded Wednesday by medical officials that the masks that they requested were not necessary and could help spread the coronavirus if workers were touching their faces frequently to adjust the masks.

City officials say they have followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance including having Environmental Services buildings and trucks cleaned regularly; providing workers with protective glasses and gloves; and doing daily health screenings. Workers are given gloves each day that they are not allowed to take home, and have been offered plastic gloves to wear under them if they want.

The city has provided sanitation workers with wipes to regularly clean off their equipment and encouraged workers to wash their uniforms daily.