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The city of Cambridge upheld its two-week-old ban on most construction activity and issued new guidelines for contractors during the COVID-19 emergency, while Newton issued new restrictions on building activity.
Cambridge officials said Thursday the city will continue to prohibit non-essential construction, while requiring contractors on projects that are continuing to submit a safety report by next Thursday including a work plan on activities that cannot maintain social distancing. Protective equipment will be required for workers in areas that cannot maintain 6-foot separation between workers. The order also requires frequent cleaning of high-contact surfaces, installation of hand-washing stations and a ban on group meetings.
The daily reports will include a count of employees and certification that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 such as a fever or cough.
Cambridge’s construction moratorium, originally issued March 18, exempts previously-approved one- to three-family homes.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced the city will adopt the state’s guidelines for allowing only “essential” construction activity, so projects such as residential teardowns, remodeling projects and additions will no longer be allowed to continue.
Essential construction comprises COVID-19 response facilities, housing construction, public works infrastructure, essential building maintenance and energy-efficiency projects.
As of Wednesday, Newton reported three deaths and 94 positive COVID-19 cases.
The Massachusetts Building Trades Council this week asked for a statewide halt of construction activity due to concerns about worker safety and insufficient social distancing measures on job sites. And the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters on Thursday told members to stop work indefinitely beginning Monday on Massachusetts building sites.
