While the big impacts of the coronavirus on construction and its broader client base may not be known for weeks, even years, the industry is responding as nimbly as it can to the effects already being felt. These effects include shutdowns of construction sites in Boston, ramped up AEC virtual office links, firms coping with infected employees, interrupted in-process business deals and critical networking events delayed or cancelled.

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Brian Turmail, Associated General Contractors spokesman says, “We’re in uncharted territory here, for the AGC and the rest of the industry. Things are happening fast and furious.” Global design firm Mott MacDonald Group Managing Director James Harris has seen trouble in numerous markets in his career but never anything like the new coronavirus, which now occupies about half his time. He expects company efficiency to suffer and is preparing for a slowdown in client payments.

已知的工作和计划的不确定性影响are creating an economic outlook for the industry that is changing daily and “cloudy at best,” says Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Data & Analytics (see related story p. 32). While construction equipment and materials are finally being shipped from China, which had been under a partial lockdown, there are now fewer sites and workers using them as the pandemic spreads globally.

A survey by Zweig Group of 77 architecture, engineering and construction firms released March 17 found that 55% said they had no projects canceled; 3% said they had cancelled or delayed projects; 12% were experiencing client-related delays; and 32% were still weighing impacts.

With air travel curbed by U.S. presidential fiat and personal precautions, Delta and United Airlines have announced capacity reductions and plan to cut capital investment by $2.5 billion and at least $2 billion, respectively. The former may be exploring new financing options for its $1.4-billion JFK airport terminal project, with its resources strained, according to sources.

危机造成的工作的可能性，例如美国陆军工程兵团改造医院处理隔离患者或生产疫苗的新设施，甚至会出现数周的时间，即使没有更长的时间。

Some cities, including San Francisco, which is faced with a housing shortage, continue to allow construction work even though they are on lockdown. But Boston announced March 16 it would close all but emergency jobsites. Mayor Marty Walsh (D), a former union laborer and head of the Building and Construction Trades Council, estimated the shutdown order could throw “tens of thousands” of tradespeople out of work. He appealed to city construction employers to “do the right thing” and lay off workers—presumably so they can collect unemployment – and not fire them.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency said the shutdown would affect some 21.4 million sq ft of new or renovated development. “It’s massive, massive,” said Walsh. “It is a difficult decision to make. Construction is at the core of our economy here in Boston.” The city will revisit the shutdown in two weeks, he added.

Pennsylvania was the first state to suspend road and bridge construction in response to the growing COVID-19 crisis, as agencies ordered contractors to halt work on current projects for two weeks as of midnight March 17. Robert Latham, executive vice president of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, credited the action as a safety precaution but considered the move drastic. He noted the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation remains operational, even though Boston has halted vertical construction projects. “We know PennDOT appreciates that the shutdown order has placed a $2.2-billion industry on hold,” Latham says, adding that “effects on workers and the unemployment compensation system should be considered as well.”

AGC首席执行官斯蒂芬·E·桑德尔（Stephen E.不断发展的情况使行业法律专家在公司的保护措施方面释放了一系列通讯，并将“不可抗力”提升到已知经常地位。

联邦保护措施仍在展开和不清楚，副总统迈克·彭斯（Mike Pence）在3月17日的白宫新闻发布会上呼吁建筑公司将呼吸器面具的清单捐赠给医疗保健设施。该声明是国会正在考虑的立法，该立法将包括针对制造和出售口罩的公司的其他N95责任保护。

Meanwhile Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) at ENR press time was laying plans to draft another bill to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts. He told reporters on March 17 that the envisioned new bill—a third since early March—would be substantially bigger than the two that preceded it. The first, signed into law on March 6, totaled $8.3 billion. A new version passed the House on March 14, with “technical corrections” on March 16. The Senate approved the measure on March 18, by a 90-8 vote.

AGC反对在3月14日的法案中提出一项规定，要求少于500名工人的公司“迎接”医疗和家庭休假费用。18luck.cubAGC关注的规定可以通过为雇主提供税收抵免，以抵消病假的成本，而税收抵免可能需要数周的时间来处18luck.cub理。承包商团体表示，相反，联邦政府应支付医疗和家庭休假费用。

参议院少数党领袖查克Schumer (D-N.Y.) proposed a package of at least $750 billion aimed at hospitals and medical treatment, unemployment insurance, Medicaid and “loan forbearance and aid” to small businesses, as well as childcare and senior citizens.

同时，公司正在尽其所能维护运营。与许多公司一样，达拉斯的Humphreys＆Partners Architects表示，它将通过互联网进行30天的所有会议，限制航空旅行，并鼓励在家中安排工作。首席执行官马克·汉弗莱斯（Mark Humphreys）说：“我们目前正在评估所有选项。”

故事于3月18日对冠状病毒响应法案进行投票进行了更新。